Fumbling Toward Love
by champagne mocha
Summary: Roma tried to avoid her power as much as she could, so she wouldn't follow in her mother's footsteps. But somehow she ended up in Sky High anyway. Now choices will have to be made - and she can only hope she makes the right ones.
1. Take My Temperature

**Chapter One – Take My Temperature**

_You should take my temperature_  
_My god, I'm too unwell to be here hey, hey, hey_  
_You can take my temperature_  
_'Cause I'm a hundred degrees in the shade over here_

~ Kaiser Chiefs ~

* * *

It was the last weekend of summer vacation, and the weather forecast had promised it would be a good one. Looking out through her bedroom window, Roma Oppugn could see they weren't lying: the sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the temperature was already rising even though it was barely past ten in the morning. There were definitely quite a few advantages to living in Southern California; the abundance of nice days being one of them.

With a small smile, the fifteen-year-old girl turned to her laptop and pressed one of the volume controls to turn up the music. As one of her favorite bands played in the background, she finished getting dressed, picking out light denim shorts, a white tee with the outline of a bicycle on the front, and her favorite earrings – the ones that looked like antique buttons; she'd found them at a small thrift store in New York City while visiting her grandparents earlier that summer. Quickly and carelessly, Roma gathered all of her long, light blonde hair in a messy ponytail. On her way out, after shutting off the laptop, she grabbed a leatherette bracelet from her dresser.

Roma tried to keep thoughts of school and tenth grade in the back of her mind, determined to enjoy the last couple of days before the new academic year started. It wasn't that she disliked school – reading, writing, studying were some of her favorite things to do. The problem with Maxville High School was the tension between different social cliques. Roma and her two best friends thought it was pointless to keep up with it, so they didn't join any particular group. Their refusal to join a clique turned the three into outcasts. It didn't bother them much.

Being an average teenager was perfectly fine with Roma, and she did her best to make sure people would see her that way too. The blonde girl was something of an avid rock climber, but other than that she stuck to less unorthodox hobbies – such as reading, hanging out with her friends, watching movies or downloading more songs than she'd ever have time to listen. Her looks got her enough attention as it was.

"Hi, daddy!" Roma greeted her father as she walked into the open layout kitchen, her second favorite spot in the house. "How was your night?"

Silas Oppugn stopped arranging cooking utensils inside a carrying case to offer his daughter a smile. He was getting ready for his weekly Brazilian culinary class. As the head chef of Vie, the fanciest and most expensive restaurant in Maxville, he often came home late at night – but he still managed to be a present father and get his freelance writing done in time. He kissed the top of Roma's head as she walked past him to get some orange juice from the fridge.

"Long. The Commander and Jetstream stopped by for a late dinner," Silas said with a casual wave of his hand, as if those weren't two of the greatest superheroes in the entire world. "How come you didn't sleep over at Claudia's?"

"No reason, really. We're meeting at Slide today and having lunch together afterwards. Trick's coming too."

"Do you need money or a ride?"

Roma turned down the money, but accepted the ride, knowing that her father wouldn't have to go out of his way to drop her off. Slide was a second-hand music and bookstore, where she spent a lot of her free time. She didn't mind walking there, as she lived only twenty minutes away from downtown Maxville, but getting a ride there would give her extra time to browse the aisles. Her best friends enjoyed the browsing too, but she could outlast the two. That's why they often came up with silly tasks for her, like finding books on obscure topics of ridiculous album covers. It was a surprise to see someone waiting for her when she arrived there.

Patrick Wenner was a six-foot tall young man with blue eyes and dark blonde hair that was always perfectly messy. He had the tormented rock star look going for him, effortlessly attracting swarms of admirers who simply couldn't understand why he liked hanging out with two geeky girls so much. He was a bit of an idealist with a rebel's wardrobe, frequently in ripped jeans, old Converses, and logo t-shirts underneath one of his usual leather jackets. He was a year older than Roma, but they were in the same grade – Patrick had been held back after spending what should've been his seventh grade year living in Sweden with his parents.

"You're late."

"Nah," she drew out the word, shrugging casually. "You're the one who's early, Trick."

"Whatever, Rio."

They never called each other by their names. While most people referred to him as Pat, she'd chosen to call him Trick. And he called her Rio in honor of the first time they met, on the first day of eighth grade. She'd accidentally hit him with a pudding cup, and they had unwittingly started a food fight after he'd dumped someone's Caesar salad on her head. In the principal's office, the man had used her full name when chastising her for the bad behavior. Patrick noticed that the initials in Roma Isabel Oppugn happened to spell the title of his favorite Duran Duran song, so he'd decided to call her that.

The memory made her smile, but any sign of fondness promptly left her face when the young man took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of a jacket pocket. Roma gave him a pointed look as he fished a cigarette out. When he motioned to light it up, she swiftly snatched the offending item away from his mouth and crumpled it up. He wasn't happy either when he saw his ruined cigarette go in a nearby trashcan.

"Do I need to remind you that each damn cigarette you smoke takes away six minutes of your life?" the girl spewed out one of the many negative facts about smoking that she had memorized. "Besides, I thought you said you quit."

"I said I tried quitting," he reminded her with an annoyed look on his face, the same one he wore when she called him out on his unhealthy habit. "Didn't really work out."

"Try harder. You're not smoking around me. It's bad for you, and second-hand smoking causes just as much damage."

"Good old Rio, always worrying and taking care of people. You should be a superhero."

Although Patrick had a smile on his face, teasing her, Roma couldn't come up with a reply. Despite the fact that they lived in a time when superheroes and supervillains were almost commonplace, she still felt uneasy when they were mentioned. The girl cracked her knuckles, trying to repress any thoughts about the power she'd spent nearly all her life trying to ignore. She knew if she thought about it, memories of her mother and her actions would pop in her head too.

Once he realized the effect of his words, Patrick frowned slightly. They had been best friends for the most part of the last few years, and he was one of only a handful of people that knew the real identity of Roma's mother. More importantly, he was one of only three people that knew about the girl's superability. He apologized quietly in an attempt to smooth things over and move on from the awkward situation.

The uncomfortable moment was interrupted by Claudia Babcock's arrival. Roma and she had been best friend since they were seven years old, when her doctor parents decided to move the family from their hometown in India to the United States. Claudia was about three inches shorter than Roma, with jet black, straight hair that reached down a little past her breasts, and big, almond-shaped brown eyes. Her skin was perpetually tanned, causing quite a few people to be envious of her color.

Claudia's style and personality was much more romantic and delicate than Roma's. The Indian girl's hair was brushed to perfection, without a single streak out of place. Her floral skirt had tones of red, pink, and peach, nicely matching the tank top, shoulder bag and Steve Madden wedges she wore. She had spent some time on her makeup too, as her long lashes were curled and thick. Roma hadn't bothered doing much with her hair or face. She hadn't even thought of putting on lipstick – the few makeup items she owned were mostly forgotten in a drawer in her bathroom.

"Hiya, peeps. You guys are early."

"Maybe you're just late," Roma suggested, giving her best girl friend a quick hug.

"Sup, Bab?" Patrick asked, pounding fists with her.

"My dad raised my allowance, so I'm paying lunch to celebrate!" she announced with a big smile. "Just don't eat too much, okay?"

"You are so kind, my lady," Patrick said, opening the store's front door. "After you."

Claudia curtsied before walking in, the other two following behind her. The place was as familiar to them as their own homes. Nearly every wall in the locally-owned store was covered by posters or shelves full of products: books, music in different formats, posters and many other trinkets. They had opened a café inside the store a few months before, what had proved to be a great decision. The owner had agreed to have a post board in the café, so local musicians and bands could advertise themselves and their services. It had become a part of the three friends' routine to check the board before leaving.

Over the summer, both Patrick and Claudia had gotten temporary jobs at Slide. She'd worked in the café, learning how to be a barista, and slipping free iced coffee to her best friends on occasion, just frequently enough that her boss wouldn't mind or be upset about it. Patrick had worked in the music section, quickly becoming one of the favorite staff members. When he told the girls that he'd been asked to become a permanent part-time employee during the school year, they hadn't been that surprised. The guy was a music geek.

As soon as they stepped inside, one of Patrick's co-workers greeted them by name and held out a copy of some metal band's new album. The blonde boy quickly went over to inspect the compact disc, starting a conversation about the band's more mature sound with the Goth-looking girl. Claudia just shook her head in amusement before heading to the classical music aisle, at the same time Roma walked over to check the alternative rock section. She planned to browse through the books too; using her time carefully was of the utmost importance.

Two hours and three purchases later, the trio finally decided it was time for lunch. Claudia suggested a Chinese spot called Paper Lantern, saying her parents took her there all the time. Patrick perked up on the spot, adding that he knew the place too and could go for their pork fried rice. Even though Roma openly favored Japanese and Ethiopian cuisine, she agreed to go. The walk to the restaurant was pleasant, filled with light banter over their purchases and completely different tastes in music and books.

When they arrived at the Paper Lantern, Claudia was the first one to go inside, smiling when a bell rang to announce their entrance. It was one of those nice, little neighborhood restaurants. Most of the decoration was in red or imitated traditional Chinese prints. The lighting wasn't the best though, and Roma thought they could definitely use a few more lamps or windows around. There was a small crowd in the place: a few couples in romantic lunch dates, three men in business suits looking sour for having to work on such a nice day, a rather big Asian family celebrating someone's birthday, and a group of six teenagers.

Without missing a beat, Claudia took the lead and walked to the table right next to the teen group. That could only mean she'd seen a cute guy. Roma chuckled to herself and went after the Indian girl, Patrick following in her heels. Within a foot of the table, she came to a sudden stop. Patrick bumped into her, asking if everything was alright. She barely registered his words, as an unsettling feeling seemed to creep up on her. Her body was tingling. It kind of felt the same as when her foot fell asleep, but softer and more insistent. There was also a faint buzzing in her ears, as the restaurant began to suddenly feel warmer.

Roma knew what the tingling feeling meant, even if she hadn't felt it for nearly a year and a half. That kind of tingling only happened when she used her power and absorbed people's abilities. In the beginning, right after she first came into her power, she would also feel dizzy and nauseated, because her ability was out of control. The girl would simply stand next to someone and be able to mimic any, all of their skills. Those symptoms passed once Roma learned how to suppress her power.

That wasn't supposed to be happening. She had practiced her power long enough to figure out how to ignore it, how to pretend she couldn't do anything more special than climb up rocks. Roma felt her face heat up and palms sweat. She didn't understand why her body temperature seemed to be rising, and couldn't explain the buzzing in her ears. If her power was acting up without her doing it, it could only mean one thing and…

"Rio! Are you alright?" Patrick asked loudly, snapping his fingers beside her ears.

"Sorry," she snapped out of it and spoke out the first lie she could think of: "I just thought I saw a butterfly fly around."

"Don't worry; I'm here to protect you from the evil butterflies."

Patrick dropped an arm around her bony shoulders and crossed the short distance to the table by her side. Claudia couldn't resist making a joke when she saw him pull up the chair for Roma to sit on, before he took the seat next to the blonde. They were still laughing when a waitress appeared to hand them menus and get their drink order. Claudia propped her menu in front of her face, but did a poor job of hiding the fact she was watching the teens sitting next to them with interest. Normally, that much attention from her was reserved for schoolwork and Ryan Gosling.

Roma didn't care about being discreet, simply looking over at the group. They were chatting over a small pile of fortune cookies and empty bowls. One of the boys had short brown hair and flaming pink cheeks, while the others all laughed. He was probably being mocked about something, but didn't seem to mind it too much. The girl sitting next to him had red hair so bright it was almost orange; the kind of color impossible to get from a bottle. She tried to glare at their friends, planting a quick kiss on the boy's lips when she failed to intimidate the others. Obviously, the two were a couple.

Next to the girl sat a skinny African-American boy wearing black-framed glasses. Three people sat on the other side of the table. A skinny guy with straight brown hair wore neon-colored clothes that seemed to match. He was laughing and leaned on the girl by his side for support. She tried to push him away for a moment, but was too busy laughing as well. The tips of her hair were dark purple and her black t-shirt had purple stars all over it.

The last person was probably the cute guy Claudia had spotted. He was a bit more muscular than the other boys. His hair seemed to be in a layered cut, reaching down a little past his chin. Roma could see a hint of red, probably from faded hair dye. His hair was as black as his eyebrows and eyes. He was dressed in black clothes and wore a leather jacket that looked very similar to Patrick's. Even though he was sitting there with the group, Roma could tell he was keeping his distance. The slight smile on his face was the only indication that he was laughing along the others about the other boy's mockery.

Roma blushed when he caught her staring at him. Most people never even noticed that she was around, much less that she was watching them. Owning up to her actions, she opted to offer him a smile instead of pretending to be looking at something else. He didn't smile back, but did begin watching her instead. Their staring contest was interrupted by Patrick, who pulled her close to point out an item in the menu, saying that it was something she should try. When Roma felt her friend twirl her ponytail around, she hoped he wouldn't notice how warm her body was.

The waitress appeared once more and carefully placed three glasses on the table. Roma chugged her iced tea in a matter of seconds, gaining odd looks from the people around her. Unable to handle the sudden attention, she directed her gaze to her lap. When she crossed her hands under the table, Roma thought they looked paler than usual. A moment later, she realized they weren't paler: they were glowing. Startled, she tried to stand up, but her right foot got stuck between her chair and Patrick's. All heads in the restaurant turned to see her sprawled on the ground.

"What happened?" Claudia questioned with a worried look as her best friend helped herself up. "Are you okay?"

"I think I have a fever. My hands are sweating and…" she leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Glowing. It feels like they're going to melt."

"Let me see," Patrick asked, reaching for her hands. He thought the droplets were sweat, but they were attached to Roma's skin. He pulled at one slightly, and watched it stretch in disbelief. "Rio, you actually are melting."

"So all of a sudden I have the ability to melt? When will that ever come in hand?"

"I don't think that's it," the Indian girl calmly stated. "It's not usual for people to just randomly sprout new powers if they already have one. Since you possess power mimicry, I think you're probably experiencing the powers of other people."

It was remarkable how interested Claudia was in superheroes and extraordinary powers. Her friends usually stated that her power was her super memory or innate intelligence, because she had a vast knowledge in various topics, and could learn almost anything just from reading about it. Whenever she got nervous she would babble random trivia or statistics and annoy the others. In this case, as it happened in most cases, her observation made complete sense.

"So, you think there are other people with superpowers here?" Patrick asked, looking over his shoulder and around the restaurant, as if trying to guess which ones weren't like him.

"Yes. And they must be close for her to feel their powers, unless hers is becoming stronger. Ten bucks say it's the people next to us," the brunette said and the other two once more eyed the group of friends at the other table.

"Think we can eat or would you rather leave, Rio?"

"Remember what your grandma told you: concentrate on something else, so you'll stop absorbing their powers without meaning to."

Roma took a deep breath, counted up to ten and then sat down once more. She told herself to think about unicorns, her favorite movie or even the last climbing route she had been working on a few days before. There were many things she could focus on, even if the tingling surging through her body seemed to be getting steadily stronger.

"Let's stay. But if my head starts glowing or anything like that, we're definitely getting out of here."

* * *

**Author's Note:** hi, everyone! This was the first chapter of _Fumbling Toward Love,_ which will (unsurprisingly) be a Warren/OC story - so I hope you like those!

First of all: thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Second: it would mean _the world_ to me, if you left a review to tell me what you think about it, if you liked it, if you didn't, etc.

The chapters will alternate between two points of view: Roma's and Warren's. So, yeah, that means next chapter will be narrated by our favorite pyro!

Friendly announcement that this is story is RATED M as per the website's rating guidelines, which states that fiction _"with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language"_ should be given the M rating. This story will have at least one potty mouth character, with others occasionally cursing. And there may be innuendos, because I like those. And some "make out" scenes. So, yeah, just a quick explanation for the M RATING when you're not reading about violence or some nudity.

I've edited this chapter a million times already, but I'm only human, so please do point out any grammar/spelling/misc mistakes and I'll try to correct them.

If anyone would be up to being my beta for this story (and possibly a couple others, though they may not be in the Sky High fandom), shoot me a PM so we can talk. I'd love to meet you!

Until next time,

Mel.


	2. Collide

**Chapter Two – Collide**

_Even the best fall down sometimes_  
_Even the wrong words seem to rhyme_  
_Out of the doubt that fills my mind_  
_I somehow find_  
_You and I collide_

~ Howie Day ~

* * *

It was all Layla Williams's fault.

At least that was what Warren Peace kept telling himself all weekend long, after he realized he couldn't stop thinking about a certain girl. If Layla hadn't convinced the gang to have lunch at the Paper Lantern, his workplace, he wouldn't have seen the blonde girl. He wouldn't have held her up when she suddenly passed out in the middle of the restaurant. And he wouldn't know how soft her pale skin felt or clearly remember what she looked like.

Her image was stuck in his brain: the long blonde ponytail that went from the middle of her head down to her shoulders, her impossibly skinny frame, her small nose, her baby blue eyes and the sparkly nail polish on her short nails. Warren cursed himself for thinking about her so much. He should know better than being interested in beautiful girls like that one, especially after having dated Sky High's Ice Queen. Pretty girls meant trouble.

At the Paper Lantern, Layla had noticed that the blonde girl and her Indian friend looked at their table rather often, but she thought that the blonde girl was looking at him, not at them. Warren had deemed the idea ridiculous. A beautiful girl like that wouldn't go for a guy that dressed in all black and had faded red dye in his hair. His thought had been proved right too, when they all saw how the rocker guy accompanying her played with her hair and kept her close. Warren had caught her looking once, right after she had arrived. Instead of giving him a look of superiority, she had offered him the sweetest smile he had seen in a while.

Warren didn't think anyone else had noticed, but the girl had passed out just a second after bumping into him. He'd been on his way to the kitchen as the gang headed out. She'd probably been on her way to the bathroom. He remembered the way she took a deep breath when approaching him, trying her hardest not to come in contact with him. He hadn't had the time to feel offended though. At the slightest brush of their shoulders, she'd gasped and fallen down. Warren had managed to catch her a moment before she hit the ground. It'd been strange to feel how unnaturally warm her skin was, much like his. He felt stupid for worrying about the girl. Roma. He knew her name because her boyfriend and her friend had both shouted it when trying to wake her.

"Warren!" Layla called him out, bumping her shoulder into his to get his attention.

"What?" he asked, glad that she'd interrupted his thoughts.

"We're trying to figure out what that's about," Will Stronghold, Layla's boyfriend, explained, pointing to the side of the auditorium. There, Principal Powers and three people patiently waited for Coach Boomer to finish the first pep rally of the year.

On the first day of class, the entire student body had been directed to the auditorium before classes started and told that they'd have occasional pep rallies and announcements there. The faculty and staff agreed that some things needed to change at the school, since the whole fiasco involving Royal Pain had happened the year before. Although they'd still have Power Placement to divide the students, there would be more opportunities for those in hero support to take the lead in activities and classes – they wouldn't be treated as sidekicks anymore.

Warren was thankful that his friends had interrupted his thinking pattern, but wasn't particularly interested in the happenings of Sky High or why three people were following Principal Powers into the room. However, focusing on anything at all was better than thinking about a girl he probably wouldn't see again. He noticed that two of the people were older, old enough to be someone's grandparents. They looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place their faces. The last person was a mystery, completely covered in colorful clothes – from a red beanie on their head and big sunglasses on their face to pink Converse on their feet.

As Principal Powers waited for the best moment to approach Coach Boomer, the old couple talked to the mystery person. The man looked excited, while the lady seemed apprehensive, as if saying reassuring words. Finally, Coach Boomer finished the announcements, and turned to the principal. She walked forward, quickly whispered something, and then urged the three people to approach them. They exchanged introductions before Principal Powers turned to address the student body.

"The sophomore class will have a new student. Coach Boomer has kindly agreed to place her before first period starts. Feel free to head to your lockers and classrooms."

Not many students motioned to leave their seats. Watching an impromptu Power Placement was a good excuse to miss a few minutes of first period for most of them. Besides, it was unusual for Sky High to take new students after freshman year. There was the random exchange student now and then, but that was a different story. A completely new student was something practically unheard of.

Coach Boomer tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the new student to remove some of her outerwear. Everyone watched as she removed her gloves, two jackets, a hoodie, a long-sleeve t-shirt, sweatpants, the hat and the sunglasses. She was finally left there standing in a simple outfit: light blue jeans, a gray top with Donald Duck's face on it, a thin yellow belt and dark pink low-tops. The old man held her clothes, as the old lady kept a tight hold on the girl's black backpack.

"Isn't that the girl from Saturday?" they heard Magenta Vitz ask from her seat right in front of Layla's. "You know; the one that passed out at the Paper Lantern?"

He couldn't believe it was actually her standing there. Roma looked shy, anxious, and terrified. A lot of students felt like that on Power Placement, because they had to showcase their power in front of everyone that would be in their grade. She was doing it in front of the entire student body, since no one had bothered to go to class just yet. Warren would never admit it, but even he would've felt intimidated showing his power to every single person in that school on his first day there.

He wasn't the only one that saw Roma swallow hard, and hesitate before taking a step towards Coach Boomer. The whispering among the students grew at that. Some were placing bets on which power she had, while others simply tried to guess whether she would end up as a hero or a sidekick. The girl quietly said something to the coach, but Warren couldn't discern her words. Whatever she'd just said made Boomer feel even more aggravated than usual.

"I can't hear you, Oppugn. SPEAK LOUDER!"

Coach Boomer never passed up the chance to embarrass a student. The girl's hair flew around her face since he'd used his sonic boom, and she had to sway her weight in order not to lose her balance.

"I'm NOT going to use MY POWER, because I believe Power Placement is AN EXCUSE TO PERPETUATE THE MYTH THAT SOME POWERS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS!"

The auditorium fell silent after the girl's outburst, except for the faint crinkling of broken glass. Every single person in there looked shocked, including Roma herself. A long moment passed before the room was filled with chattering once more. Students that wore glasses complained about the condition of their lenses, at the same time others collected the money from their bets. A few of them watched as Coach Boomer's face slowly broke into a half smile before he announced that Roma would be a hero – nobody else was surprised; as if he would've made someone with the same power as him a sidekick.

Principal Powers took control of the situation, telling the students to go to class if they didn't want risk getting detention. Then she directed Roma and the older couple to the auditorium's main doors; probably on the way back to the principal's office to discuss things like the girl's class schedule. Layla, Will and their friends excitedly talked about the girl, marveling at how coincidental it was that they'd seen her for the first time ever just a few days ago, and then she'd turned up as a transfer student at Sky High. As Ethan Jay foolishly attempted to fix his glasses, he theorized that Roma had probably gone to a different super school before coming to Maxville. Warren decided not to join the speculation and stalked off to his first class.

He almost slept through Math. He didn't understand most of it already, and it was only the second day of the semester. Warren couldn't get how some people actually enjoyed that subject. He much preferred the humanities side of the curriculum, because he was good at memorizing names and dates. He was also good at Save the Citizen, their equivalent of physical education. Besides, every now and then he could afford to read a book during those classes, but if he stopped paying attention for even five minutes of Math or Physics, he'd be totally screwed.

Classes seemed to go by even more slowly than usual, especially since he could barely escape the talking about Roma. At least he'd be safe from the gossiping once he entered Hero History, because Ms. Elast didn't let students have parallel conversations during her lessons. She didn't think twice before taking people's phones away or sending them to the principal's office – at least that was what every student that had had her claimed. Ms. Elast had the power of twisting her body into anything she wanted, so many people wondered why she'd decided to teach instead of becoming a working superhero.

"Ms. Elast?" they heard a shy voice ask a few minutes after the bell rang. "Hi. Um. I'm Roma Oppugn, the new student?"

"Oh, yes, yes! Lynda told me you'd be assigned to this period," the teacher said brightly, as she motioned for the girl to approach her. "I like my students to introduce themselves on the first day. Why don't you say something about yourself before taking a seat, Roma?"

"Okay. Well, I'm Roma… I like reading and Math."

"Which school did you attend before coming to Sky High?" Ms. Elast inquired when the silence began to stretch.

"Maxville High."

"But that's not…" the teacher started saying, but let the sentence trail off. "Hm, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"Can I take my seat now?"

"Sure. You can sit by Warren. He'll be your partner."

"Partner?"

Ms. Elast nodded. She went on to quickly recap the assignment Roma had missed. Each student had been paired up with another and been randomly assigned a superhero for research. Besides providing a brief biography, they'd also have to talk about the superhero's support, main nemesis, and notable deeds. Warren didn't bother taking notes, not even writing down the name of the superhero his pair was assigned (someone named Satellite). Given that there was an odd number of students in that class, Ms. Elast had agreed to let Warren work on his own. But now that Roma was there, they could work together.

It took all of his willpower, but the pyrokinetic teen managed not to look up from the book he was reading while the whole exchange happened. He hadn't been able to focus on a single word after hearing Roma's voice though; the text on the pages turning into alphabet soup. It only became more difficult to focus when she took the seat to his right. From that short distance, he could once more smell her fruity perfume. He didn't acknowledge the shy "hi" Roma offered him, and that seemed to fluster her. Warren wasn't happy to be stuck with her. Pretty girls attracted trouble like honey attracted bees; and after the Ice Queen and her drama, he wanted nothing to do with them.

A few minutes passed before Warren heard Roma whisper his name. He was in no mood to talk, and continued to ignore the girl. He eventually looked at her when the whispering became more insistent. He could tell it had even begun annoying the people around them. Roma smiled at him when he turned to face her, before showing him the small book she had carefully tucked into her copy of the Hero History textbook. She was reading Cat's Cradle, a book written by Kurt Vonnegut, who happened to be the author of the book Warren was currently reading – Breakfast of Champions.

"I know what your book is about. I read it already," she told him. "In case you're wondering, Cat's Cradle is filled with scientists and G-men and even ordinary folks caught up in a game. They chase each other around in search of the world's most important and dangerous substance, a new form of ice that freezes at room temperature. It's pretty cool."

Although Warren made a mental note to add Cat's Cradle to his reading list, he went back to ignoring the girl. Maybe that would shut her up. And that was what happened, after three other failed attempts to get him to talk. He couldn't help thinking that she had a lovely voice and looked cute when she babbled, but those weren't thoughts he wanted to dwell on. He was taking time away from any sort of problems, especially the ones brought on and caused by girls. When class ended, Warren hurried off, pretending he hadn't heard her call out his name. He just wanted to get away from her and her fruity smell.

On his way to the cafeteria, he met up with Will. Warren asked where his girlfriend was. Ever since Layla had switched to Hero status, her class schedule had been very similar to Will's. They walked to and from classes together, usually holding hands, and pecked each other on the lips quite often. Will liked carrying Layla's books for her – she always protested against it, but ended up relenting, and giving him the books. Warren honestly thought he could gag from how sweet those two acted all the time.

"Powers made her show the new girl around, 'cause they share a few classes," Will explained, then suddenly focused on something behind his friend. "Isn't that Amber?"

The pyrokinetic turned around, following the direction of Will's eyes. Sure enough, Amber Daniels, also known as Warren's ex-girlfriend and Sky High's most popular student, stood a few feet away, leaning against a locker, surrounded by her best friend and a few of her followers. For the most part, she looked like herself: perfect makeup that accentuated her green eyes and an outfit that hugged her body in all the right places – a pink shirt with a deep V neck tucked into a bright blue skirt. The big difference was that Amber no longer had the platinum blonde hair she had sported just the day before. Her hair was long and dyed in a dark shade of brown, which fit her just as well as her previous color. Her green eyes seemed to stand out even more.

Warren's surprise quickly faded; because he had Amber figured out. It was just like her to get a dramatic makeover on the second day of classes. She'd probably hoped to get maximum attention, what wouldn't have happened on the first day back to school, since everyone else would also be showing off their new haircuts and clothes. He almost laughed when it occurred to him that Amber's plan had been accidentally ruined by Roma's arrival. After all, he had heard all sorts of whispers about the new girl, but not a single comment on his ex-girlfriend's drastic hair change. He knew Amber had to be furious – there was nothing she liked more than being on center stage.

Sometimes Warren couldn't even believe that the girl watching him on that moment was the same one he'd danced with at last year's homecoming dance. Less than 365 days before, Amber had been only a beautiful junior in Sky High. But she had seen an opportunity to grow in social status, after the most popular girl in school, Gwen Grayson, had been revealed to be villain Royal Pain. In a matter of weeks, people didn't even remember there had been a different Queen Bee than Amber Daniels. The popularity got to her head; she started using people to get what she wanted, or to do what she didn't want to waste time with.

Eight months after that first dance, Warren had walked into school just to see Amber wrapped around the arms of a popular senior guy. They had been making out in front of everyone, and she'd put on a great act for her audience, claiming she'd tried staying faithful to Warren, but that her love for What's-His-Name had been too strong to fight. Warren knew the real reason for the breakup though: dating a guy like him wasn't good for Amber's image – he didn't care for a social agenda, and his father happened to be a terrifying villain.

"I hate to say it, but she would probably look good even with snakes on top of her head and a potato sack instead of a dress," Magenta said, as she casually twirled a long strand of hair around her fingers. Warren hadn't even noticed her arrival.

"Weird to see her looking so different," Will commented. "She's been blonde for so long."

"Where's Layla?"

"Showing the new girl around."

"Oh. Nice. Maybe we'll get the scoop later."

"Hey, where are you going?" Will called out when Warren began walking away, going in the opposite direction from the cafeteria. "Warren!"

He didn't turn around, but he clearly had the impression that Amber and her followers were watching him as well. Warren didn't care about them. He just wanted to get the hell away from everyone, so he wouldn't hear anything else about Amber or Roma. The realization that his ex-girlfriend still had an effect on him, despite the fact that she was his least favorite person, upset him a lot. And he was already troubled by the fact that Roma seemed to have an effect on him, even if he didn't even know her. Damn pretty girls with green eyes. Warren seemed to have a soft spot for them.

* * *

**Author's note:** aaaaaand that was chapter 02! Thank you so much for reading! Really, you're awesome for doing, because this chapter is about 3,000 words long.

I'd love to know what you thought of it, so if you'd take a few seconds (or minutes, your choice) to leave a review and tell me if you liked or not, it'd mean the world to me! If you don't have an account or are too lazy to log in, just leave your e-mail/username and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Don't forget that you can see pictures of character models, extras and more on the _Fumbling Toward Love_ tumblr blog. You can find the link to it on my profile page.

Friendly reminder that this is story is RATED M as per the website's rating guidelines, which states that fiction _"with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language"_ should be given the M rating. This story will have at least one potty mouth character, with others occasionally cursing. And there may be innuendos, because I like those. And some "make out" scenes. So, yeah, just a quick explanation for the M RATING when you're not reading about violence or some nudity.

Until next time,

Mel.


	3. Haters

**Chapter Three – Haters**

_You look so clean, but you spread your dirt_  
_As if you think that words don't hurt_  
_You build up walls no one can climb_  
_The things you do should be a crime_  
_You're the queen of superficiality_

~ Hilary Duff ~

* * *

Her first day at Sky High hadn't been as terrible as she had expected it to be – even if she had felt nauseated every second of it and her assigned partner in Hero History seemed to detest her already; not to mention the fact her grandparents had insisted on taking her to school instead of letting her take the bus. Even with all that, her first day there hadn't been as awkward or as overwhelming as telling the truth to her family. Grandma Guerra had stood by her side after sending Claudia and Patrick home, because she didn't think Grandpa Guerra would manage to handle the fact that the kids knew about her power when he didn't.

Roma didn't like thinking about it, but the disappointed look in his face was burned into her mind. She assumed that was the kind of look problematic kids got when their parents were called to pick them up in school after a fight or a drug bust. For a moment, Grandpa Guerra had been ecstatic, calling her a late bloomer, but then she had told him the whole truth – how her power actually first manifested when she was only a child – and his face had fallen. His excitement had faded faster than anything she had ever seen. And the look on her father's face… Roma knew exactly which thought had gone through his mind: _Will my daughter turn out to be like her mother?_

The blonde girl shook her head, forcing herself to go back to reality. There was no point in mulling over what had happened, not when her Great Geography notes made as little sense to her as hieroglyphs. She could never have imagined that the activities of super people could affect geographical formations. She sincerely hoped her scribbles would make more sense once the tutor assigned to her explained them later that day. That idea only upset her more. Roma had to hold back a sigh so Ms. Elast wouldn't catch her not taking notes on the Hero History lecture.

Roma had always been a good student. She wasn't one of those students that spent all of her time studying and reviewing note cards in their free time, but she managed to keep the straight A's coming with cramming sessions, extra credit assignments, and some occasional arguing with her teachers. It bothered her that she had gone from being a fine student to being completely clueless literally overnight. The textbooks that had been sent to her house that Monday afternoon looked intimidating. Flipping through them had taken her a few hours, but she guessed getting through English, Hero History, Mad Math and one of her electives wouldn't be impossible. But nothing else made sense to her.

It had taken some persuading and personal favors, but her grandparents had been able to cut a deal with Principal Powers and the Super School Board of Education: if Roma wanted to graduate high school at the same time as her friends, she would have to do the projects that were required of first-year students at Sky High in addition to her workload. To give her a chance of actually being able to do so, Principal Powers had arranged for Roma to have daily tutoring sessions right after school with top students. She agreed to all the terms, even if meant less time to do the things she enjoyed and giving up the part-time job she was supposed to start in October.

When the bell rang to indicate the end of class, Roma almost jumped in her seat. She had been completely distracted, not even writing down the homework assignment. She decided to ask Warren about it, even if he hadn't looked at her once during the entire period. She called out his name, but he just rushed out of the room with everyone else. Roma couldn't help but wonder if it was something about her. Or did he simply not like anyone at all? After gathering her things and having a quick word with Ms. Elast, the girl was on her way to the cafeteria. She tried to remember the way there on her own, but ended up following the crowd instead.

As soon as Roma walked into the cafeteria, she thought of turning back around and walking away. The nausea she had been feeling all morning only got worse. It was hard enough having to deal with about twenty different powers confined in each one of her classes; being in the cafeteria was even worse; almost unbearable. It was Roma's first time there and seeing all those people... She had convinced Layla to spend lunch period in the library the day before. Not to mention that Nurse Spex had given Roma three blood red pills that had temporarily numbed her power to keep her from getting too overwhelmed. She was really regretting her agreement to lower the dosage that morning, even though the nurse said the girl needed to get used to her power and its new strength.

Even the hunger wasn't enough to make Roma forget her anxiety over where she would sit in the cafeteria. She hadn't had to worry about that since first grade, when Claudia had saved her a seat because they had been wearing the exact same shoes that first day of elementary school. Roma scanned the room, hoping to see Layla's head of red hair, but the girl wasn't anywhere around. She did spot Warren Peace though, sitting by himself. He occupied a table in the back of the cafeteria, next to a set of windows. On an impulse, Roma made a beeline towards him. She ignored the look he gave her when he saw her plop down on the chair next to him.

"Who said it was okay for you to sit here?" he asked her, breaking the silence a few moments later.

"I didn't realize I needed permission. I just thought we could talk."

"You thought wrong," he told her, making a big show out of pulling his book out of his bag and holding it in front of his face to show her he was reading. "I'm busy. Now go away."

"You don't even know me, Warren. How come I already upset you so much?" Roma asked, sighing when he didn't offer an answer. "I can accept that you don't want to socialize with me; it's not the first time someone's refused to be around me. But we need to find a way to treat each other civilly long enough to get our assignments done for History. I don't want my grades to depend on your mood swings."

"We'll split everything in half. I'll do my part and you'll do yours. Satisfied?" Warren asked, but didn't wait for her to say anything. "You should go now. I like to sit alone."

Roma stared at him for a moment. She could _feel_ just how annoyed he was by her presence. He really didn't want anything to do with her. Just as the girl was about to leave and hide out in the library again, two people sat down across from Warren and her. She was surprised to see Layla and the boy that was her boyfriend. She was also slightly surprised when the other kids she had seen at the Paper Lantern took the remaining seats around the table. They all smiled at her, even the tough-looking girl with faded purple hair.

"I thought it was strange to see you sitting with Warren," Layla started the conversation, "but you two have Hero History together, right?"

"Yes. Ms. Elast actually assigned me as his partners." Roma could swear everyone gave her apologetic looks. "Do you guys always sit with him?"

"Yeah, unless he's in a mood."

"Warren's _always_ in a mood, Zach," the other girl corrected him and everyone chuckled. "I'm Magenta Vitz. These are Zach Braun, Ethan Jay, and Will Stronghold."

They had barely finished introductions before Zach made a comment about how lucky Roma was for having the same power as Coach Boomer. That would instantly make her the teacher's favorite student. She offered him a tight smile and asked about their abilities in an effort to divert the attention away from her. Despite feeling uncomfortable with the fact people assumed her power to be a sonic boom, Roma wasn't about to correct them – explaining power mimicry was tiring and she didn't like how people went nuts over it. She would give it up in a second if she could. She didn't want to eventually be held responsible for the safety of millions.

The blonde girl smoothed out imaginary wrinkles from her gray cotton sweater when everyone gave her the sort of look that two-headed animals would get if they existed. All she had done was ask if both of Will's parents were active superheroes. Ethan was the one that said they were The Commander and Jetstream, like that information should be common knowledge. Roma tried not to let it get to her; there were a lot of things she didn't know because she had never cared about becoming acquainted with the happenings of the super circles – she knew that was the reason why Grandpa Guerra always spent so much time talking to Claudia when they saw each other; Claudia loved that kind of thing and she was really good at keeping secrets.

Conversation at the table halted when they were distracted by the arrival of a stunning African-American girl. She wore a cute, low cut floral dress and she had expertly matched her jewelry to it – she wore a pink ring around a finger and several gold bracelets around her wrists. Her hair was skillfully curled, as if she had just stepped out from a photo shoot. And Roma thought that for someone so pretty, the girl's eyes gave them such a nasty look. She looked at each one of the people around her as if they were flies that needed to be swatted away. There was no doubt she was one of those popular mean girls, because a lot of people were suddenly watching them.

"Hey, Warren. Is that your new… _girlfriend_?" the brunette asked the question with mockery in her voice, as if the thought of him being with Roma was too ridiculous to be taken seriously.

"Amber, we're not looking for a scene, okay?"

"I wasn't talking to you, flower freak."

"Maybe you should listen to her anyway," Roma heard herself speak up.

"Oh, how cute. You bark back," Amber observed with a wicked smile. "Honestly, Warren, she's _such_ a downgrade."

They all saw when he slammed his book shut and set it on the table before turning to face the mean girl. Roma guessed that Amber hadn't expected Warren to react that way, because she could feel the other girl's confidence falter. It took her a second to realize it, but Amber was truthfully scared of what her ex-boyfriend might do. And she wasn't the only one feeling that way. The reaction puzzled Roma. While she was aware that Warren wasn't exactly the most outspoken person, she didn't think he should inspire fear on other people – even if the look he gave Amber was intense. Sure, he was angry, but it was a controlled kind of angry.

"Actually, Amber, _anyone_ would be an upgrade after you."

"You're just saying that because I left you for someone better."

Roma felt Warren stiffen next to her. The girl's words got to him. While they weren't friends or even cordial to each other, she couldn't simply sit there and watch Amber give him grief. That girl had no right to make others feel inferior and Roma wasn't going to take it. Perhaps no one had ever stood up to her and that was why she got away with it. Without much thought, Roma flipped her blonde hair out of the way, scooted her chair as close to Warren's as possible, and slipped her arm underneath his. They were both surprised as he didn't fight back when she held his hand in hers and intertwined their fingers. Amber tried not to seem too shocked, but her surprise – and everyone else's – was obvious.

The blonde girl looked at Warren with a small smile on her face, hoping it would be enough to convince others that she liked him. She had never been a natural flirt, and her skills had not improved one bit despite Claudia's best efforts. Just in case their audience didn't believe her, she decided to plant a quick kiss on the pyro's cheek. Roma felt dizzy, in a nice way, her lips tingling softly from the brief contact. It was probably the first time her power's telltale symptom hadn't filled her with dread. It took her a second to regain her focus. She reminded herself that it was all an act.

"It's hard to believe you could find someone better than War," Roma said, hoping the boy wouldn't kill her for using an innocent nickname. Amber wouldn't see it as innocent though, so it was well worth the threat of being torched to ashes.

"You're going to fit right in with these losers if you think that. Haven't you noticed how socially inept he is? Don't you know _who his father is_?"

"Not wanting to talk to you doesn't make him socially inept. It makes him smart. I've known you for less than ten minutes and I already see you're a total jerk."

As soon as those words left her mouth, several people gasped. There was a moment of total silence in the cafeteria. If their lives were a movie, her insult would have echoed through the room, flowing through the halls of the school. After a beat, everyone started whispering. People didn't even care about being subtle anymore; they were all watching the two girls interact with each other anyway. Amber didn't seem to be enjoying the attention any more than Roma did.

"It takes one to know, doesn't it?" Amber asked, holding her handbag so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

"My behavior is simply a reflection of yours. As for your second question, I'm not dating Warren's father, so even if I knew who he is, I wouldn't care about it. It doesn't matter. War is his own person."

Layla and Will exchanged looks before smiling at their new friend. Evidently, what Roma said pleased them. And, from the way Warren suddenly felt a little bit more relaxed, and the way he gently squeezed her hand, she could tell he was pleased too. At the same time she realized this, it became clear that her answer confused Amber. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows were scrunched up, as was her forehead, though she still looked beautiful.

"How can you _not_ know who his father is?"

"I'm sure you've heard that I never went to super school before. Everybody was talking about me yesterday, even if I don't think I'm _that_ interesting," she punctuated her self-deprecating remark with an eye roll. "I haven't had the time to catch up on everyone and their powers. By the way, who are you?"

"What the fuck are you even asking me?" the brunette seemed to be more offended now than before, when she was called a jerk. "I'm Amber Daniels! I'm the senior class president and valedictorian. I'm the most popular girl in Sky High!"

"Oh. Okay. My bad," Roma apologized like she meant it, what caused some people to snicker. "I'm–"

"I know who you are! You're a fucking nobody!"

"I should point out that nobody bothered to tell me about you."

"You better watch out, new girl. I can make your life hell around here."

"I doubt that." This time Roma really meant her words.

"Trust me. I can. And you'll get to see it firsthand," Amber remarked, her voice laced with promise. She then walked away to sit with her friends around a table in the center of the cafeteria.

"Your ex-girlfriend seems perfectly lovely," the new girl told Warren.

"I don't think you should go looking for trouble, Roma," Layla said with a little chuckle. "Amber is pretty mean."

"I didn't go looking for it. Trouble found me."

They all laughed at her, except for Warren, who untangled his fingers from hers and pulled his arm away. Nobody said anything, seeing as they were all distracted with the new subject that had come up. Roma took a moment to get back into the conversation, missing the warm feeling from Warren's body. She shook her head. The last thing she should do was develop a crush on someone that was totally unattainable. There was no way the pyrokinetic would even give her a second glance when he could date girls as beautiful as Amber – being a jerk didn't make her any less attractive. And considering he didn't even like her as a person; there was no way he would like her as a something more.

Over the next couple of days, Roma settled into a bit of a routine, slowly getting used to her busy schedule as a Sky High student. She would wake up early, change into whatever she could find, and have breakfast while waiting for her ride to school. She would go to school, meet her tutors after class, take the last bus home and squeeze in time for a shower and dinner while getting her homework done. She went to sleep late and woke up early to start the cycle again. While it was hard to keep up, she wanted to get as much done during the week as possible, so she could maybe spend some time on her hobbies or with her best friends over the weekend.

Whispers, rumors, and stares still happened, but Roma was learning to ignore them. However, it was sometimes hard to shake off the feeling that someone was talking about or looking at her. She was grateful that her new friends were giving her space and avoided asking too many questions about her personal life. While she wouldn't call Warren a friend yet, he had started acting more politely towards her – even if the only things they talked about were mostly the Hero History assignments and whatever else everyone was talking about. She had a guess his change of heart, if she could call it that, was because of how she had stood up to his ex-girlfriend, though no one dared mentioning the event.

On Friday afternoon, Roma found out that Amber Daniels really intended on keeping her promise of making the new girl's life difficult. When she opened her locker at the end of the school day, she found it empty, except for a message written in a pink card. It was a short riddle that once solved would say where her things were. With a frustrated sigh, Roma shut her locker's door and almost jumped when Warren turned out to be standing right behind it. She quickly pocketed the note as he continued to lean against a random locker.

"You startled me."

"Startled?" he repeated the word as if it were foreign. "Who talks like that?"

"The granddaughter of two university professors," she replied without missing a beat as she slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Grandma is a physicist. Grandpa has a PhD in linguistics. I was the weird child using SAT words in casual conversation by the time I was six."

"Where were you?" Warren asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Roma had the impression that he knew something, but decided to play dumb and ask what he meant by that. "During Save the Citizen. We didn't see you in the gym all week and that's everyone's last period of the day."

"I had to go see a teacher," she offered, hoping he would drop the subject. Roma wasn't ready to share her situation with anyone. Besides, it was half the truth anyway.

"Every day? Why do you see your teachers so much?"

"Well, I, I have questions."

"That you can't ask during class or one of us? What kind of questions are those?" he wanted to know, his impatience seeping through his pores as if it was a hormone. "That doesn't explain why you don't catch the bus home though. Zach's locker is right over there and he sees you picking up your books, but you're not in the bus. Where do you go?"

"I take the last bus home."

Roma was surprised that Warren had paid such attention to her routine. A warm feeling was creeping up to her cheeks, but she told herself that he was probably just observant; not interested in her. Lots of people were naturally good at seeing and remembering things. He was probably one of them. Besides, there was no point in starting with romantic delusions when she didn't even have enough time to check her e-mail. And she had anticipated the fact that people would notice that she had yet to show up for the school's idea of physical education.

The girl silently wished he wouldn't ask why she was never in the bus in the mornings either. Her grandparents insisted on taking her to school in their flying car, but if she told anyone that, it would mean explaining how and why they got the flying car in the first place. It was a long, mostly confidential tale she didn't want to get into.

Thinking of the textbooks she needed to find, Roma decided to brush him off. She motioned to walk past him, but didn't get too far before he placed his hand on her arm and stopped her. Looking right into her eyes, Warren said she could tell him if something was wrong. The sincerity in his voice and words puzzled the girl, because they were a stark contrast to his usual demeanor. They had begun getting along well over the last couple of days, but that much worry…

"There's nothing wrong," Roma finally replied, choosing not to tell him about Amber's game of Hide and Seek with her books. "Principal Powers wanted to enroll me as a freshman, since I've gone to regular school all my life, but I want to graduate with my friends. So my grandparents managed to get me a deal: I get to do that if I can catch up with all the coursework."

"You have to do the freshman work as well as what we get as sophomores?"

"Yes. Most teachers are being nice and requiring only the minimum out of the curriculum. I still need help though. The principal assigned tutors for my worst subjects. I see them after school."

"How can you handle all that?"

"My personal life has been minimized at the moment. The only subjects I'm confident about are English, History and Math."

"You're good at Math?" Warren asked, shocked by that revelation. She couldn't help but find his reaction quite a bit sexist. "I hate it."

"I take junior-level classes. It's my favorite subject."

"How can you like math?"

Roma could only laugh in reply.

* * *

******Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Thanks for the hits and alert subscriptions. Don't be shy: leave a review! I love hearing from readers.

Special thanks to **Alice Rose Winter** and** Independent yet in love **for writing reviews!

By the way, I know that the girl Warren danced with at the end of the movie was a white blonde girl. But I wanted to make my fanfiction cast diverse, so I decided to make her African-American instead, though I kept her with blonde hair (until now, anyway). And I really just wanted to use Kat Graham (Bonnie from _The Vampire Diaries_) as a model for one of my major-ish characters.

Don't forget you can see character pictures and read some extra scenes and other things on the tumblr blog I set up for this story. The link is on my profile, but you can also copy and paste (and take out the spaces) of the following: fumblingtowardlove. tumblr. com

And lastly, I don't have a beta reader, so I do my best to edit the chapters before I post them. I would, however, really like to have a beta reader if only to exchange ideas about the characters and where the story is going. Let me know if anyone is interested!

Until next time,

Mel.

PS - Friendly reminder that this is story is RATED M as per the website's rating guidelines, which states that fiction _"with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language"_ should be given the M rating. This story will have at least one potty mouth character, with others occasionally cursing. And there may be innuendos, because I like those. And some "make out" scenes. So, yeah, just a quick explanation for the M RATING when you're not reading about violence or some nudity.


	4. Twist And Crawl

**Chapter Four – Twist and Crawl**

_You broke my heart in several pieces  
__Not supposed to be that easy, have to read the books again  
__Twist and crawl, Twist and crawl, Twist and crawl  
__You make me, make me  
__Twist and crawl, Twist and crawl, Twist and crawl  
__But you can't hurt me anymore_

~ Skindred ~

* * *

She'd been there for less than a month and already she was as much part of the group as any of the others. In a matter of days Roma had managed to get to know and get close to them all, quickly finding things in common with each one of them. It hadn't been hard for her to do so, because Roma had turned out to be very talkative and outgoing. Warren had a suspicion that that was how she truly was; she had just needed some time to get used to the idea of attending Sky High – it _could_ be overwhelming.

Warren noticed that Roma and Layla talked about environmental topics and movies a lot. They were always trying to find movies that both of them could enjoy; a hard task considering one favored dramas and period films, while the other went for documentaries and action-packed flicks. That meant Will finally had someone that understood all of his Chuck Norris jokes and believed Bruce Willis to be a quality actor. With Magenta, Roma discussed music, and the two developed a friendly rivalry that involved finding the best little-known band or artist each week.

Math was the main thing for Ethan and the new girl; they talked about differentials, theories, and exchanged nerdy math jokes that nobody else laughed at. As for Zach, he was overjoyed to have someone to talk to about old school video games, even if he was a diehard Donkey Kong fan and claimed Roma was a snob for only playing the classic Super Mario games or Super Sonic.

The blonde girl seemed to be the only one to notice that she wasn't any closer to Warren now than she'd been on her first day there. It didn't seem strange to anyone else that the only things Roma and him talked about most of the time were Hero History assignments and whatever else everyone talked about around the lunch table. It escaped the others that the pyrokinetic hadn't opened up to someone as nice and captivating as Roma Oppugn. Warren knew that his friends were most likely brushing it off as his usual behavior, because even after a year of knowing them, he still didn't share much about himself, his feelings and his home life. It was easier to keep people away, in case they decided to just leave one day.

And yet, for some reason he couldn't figure out, Roma kept trying to get him to talk to her, to open up to her. Now and then she'd just ask him a question and look put off when he refused to answer. Other times she'd try to be subtle about it, like when they talked about something and she volunteered information about herself, expecting him to take the bait when she added a "what about you?" at the end of her little stories. He never fell for it, though he'd told her a thing or two about himself – things that only Layla knew.

Warren didn't know how to behave around Roma sometimes. There had been more than one occasion in which he had thought about kissing her or he'd wondered what it would be like to date her. Those were _not_ things he wanted to be thinking about. He blamed them on the little act she'd pulled that first time she had joined their lunch table.

People believed they were dating, not thinking it was odd that they never held hands or stood close to each other or snuck out to be alone. Whenever he had those thoughts or heard any whispers, Warren became quiet and moody. That combination was usually more than enough to drive everyone away, but it only seemed to make Roma act nicer to him. She was always trying to get him to laugh, and she managed a half smile from time to time – like when she slipped his favorite cookies into his locker one day, or when she poked him under the lunch table so nobody else would be able to see it.

"Hey there," Roma greeted him with a brilliant smile that made him pause. Warren often had to remind himself that she gave out those smiles to anyone, not just him.

"What's up?"

"A whole lot has happened since we last saw each other six minutes ago. I don't even think we have enough time to talk about it all!"

There she went again, with her silliness. Warren didn't even say anything, simply offering her a small smile – what was more than most people got. When she took her usual lunch bag out of her locker, he asked her what was inside. She told him all about cheese bread, a popular Brazilian delicacy. The blonde was making a good point for the cause of packed lunch. The cafeteria food at Sky High was better than what Warren remembered eating in middle school, but it didn't look better than the dishes Roma's father cooked for her.

After braving the line for food, the two headed to their usual table, which was all the way in the back, by the windows. It was the same table where Warren used to sit by himself before Layla and the gang had come along. On the way, something caught the pyrokinetic's eyes and he stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't even notice that Roma kept walking or that she made her way back to him when she realized he wasn't by her side anymore.

Amber Daniels and the other popular kids sat in the center of the cafeteria, so that everyone could get a good view of them. The scene was particularly different on that day, since the brunette wasn't just sitting there, looking bored as she usually did. She was far from bored, sitting on the lap of a senior named Blaise Cameron, probably the most popular boy in his grade. Amber's long arms were resting on Cameron's shoulders, her fingers lightly tapping against the back of his neck. He leaned into her and whispered something in her ear that made the girl throw her head back in laughter. Once she was done laughing, the Ice Queen pulled him close by his shirt's collar and they shared a deep kiss.

More and more people began noticing the way Warren simply stood there and watched the scene unfold. The whispers didn't take long to start floating around and it only upset him – he didn't like being the center of attention; it was never a good thing. He was about to walk away when Amber turned her head and caught him looking. She smirked at Warren before pulling Cameron close to her again and kissing him once more – but, this time, she kept her eyes open to see her ex-boyfriend's reaction.

"She's doing it just to spite you."

"I know," was the response he growled out. His hands were holding the food tray so tightly it might break.

"So don't give her the satisfaction of seeing you this way."

"Leave me alone."

"Amber's only trying to get a rise out of you," Roma said it as if he didn't know it. "C'mon, the others are waiting for us already."

"Just go away, Roma."

"Don't act that way, War."

"Don't touch me," he said, pulling his arm away when she looped hers around it. "And don't give me stupid nicknames. Just leave me _the hell_ alone."

With that outburst, Warren walked away from her and out of the cafeteria without looking back once. He took his food and found a secluded area outside, where he could be alone. The boy was mad at himself for letting Amber's game affect him so much. Her PDA with Cameron wasn't anything new – hadn't she done the same thing following their very public breakup? So why did it get to him so much now? And why did it make him lash out at Roma?

Warren realized she had tried to help him go along and ignore the Ice Queen. But instead of listening to her, he had screamed at her. He had even given her grief for calling her War, a nickname that Warren didn't even mind much when it came from her lips. Roma probably didn't like him very much on that moment. And he totally deserved it.

So what that his ex-girlfriend was sticking her tongue down some random guy's throat? It was bound to happen again and it was none of his business, because he didn't care about it. He didn't even want to be the one kissing her. If anything, Warren would much rather kiss Roma – a realization that didn't surprise the boy, since it wasn't exactly the first time the thought had crossed his mind.

Warren shook his head, trying to get a grip of reality. He had to stop thinking about Roma so much. Just because she was random, interesting and seemed to be different from the other girls at Sky High, it didn't mean she was good for him. If anything, it meant she was too good for him. Besides, Roma was so laidback and carefree Warren doubted she would ever want to be in a relationship. She didn't seem to be the kind of girl that obsessed over guys and relationships. He had seen how boys gave her attention all the time and she didn't even notice it, brushing it off as people being nice.

He didn't seek her out to apologize. Warren decided to avoid her, something easy to do given that their only classes together were Hero History and Save the Citizen, which she hadn't been to yet. He kept an eye out for Roma in the hallways in between classes, ducking away from her sight when he saw her. Warren felt bad for acting like a jerk, but apologies didn't come easily to him. However, a nagging feeling of guilt kept bothering him for the rest of the day.

When the final bell rang, Warren walked out with Will, as they had the same class. He expected to stop by Layla's locker to meet the others, and then walk together to the bus. He didn't expect to see Roma there, because he knew she had tutoring after school. Somehow she could sense Warren's presence even before she saw or heard him – her back went stiff and she held her textbooks close to her chest. He ended up standing next to her, who didn't even glance at him. Warren realized that her attitude upset him even more than Amber making out with Cameron. That thought made his back stiff.

"What's going on?" Will asked the others.

"I'm trying to convince Roma to come to movie night."

"You don't want to come?"

"It's not that I don't _want_, Will," she explained him with a sigh. "I _can't_ come. I already made other plans."

"We can come up with an excuse that will get you out of your plans," Magenta offered. "Zach and I are very good at excuses."

"Sorry, guys, but I don't think so. Maybe next time, okay?" Roma gave them a smile. "I have to go now. Gotta see a teacher about the extra credit I did."

Before she left, Roma threw a quick sideways glimpse to Warren, but didn't say anything. He watched her walk away with a slouch, carrying some of her heavy books in her arms. He had to wonder if he was part of the reason she'd declined the invitation to their mostly-weekly movie night. Roma had to be mad at him still. Either way, he wasn't about to ask – no one had mentioned anything about his absence during lunch and he didn't want to be the one to bring it up.

In the end, Warren couldn't make it to movie night either. He had to take an extra shift at the Paper Lantern when another busboy called in sick, but he didn't complain – he'd take any chance to make some extra cash. The plan was to save up enough to buy a car or a motorcycle so he didn't have to take his mom's vehicle all the time. Warren hadn't missed much anyway; Layla had called him to say that they were going to watch _Alex & Emma_, a cheesy romantic movie that happened to be one of her favorites.

The rest of the weekend went by fast; since he was busy doing deliveries and trying to get all his homework done. Math was already giving him trouble and it had taken him a couple of hours to get through the worksheets the teacher had assigned them. If things kept that way, Warren would have to seriously consider getting help. It occurred to him that if he didn't think Roma was angry with him, he could ask her for tutoring seeing as she was taking junior-level Math classes. She wouldn't think he was stupid.

When Monday started, it felt a lot like the previous Friday, as Warren resumed his strategy of avoiding Roma at all costs. It only lasted until Hero History, during which he had to sit beside her. To make matters worse, Ms. Elast chose that Monday to make them work in their assigned pairs. Although the girl had moved her chair close to his, she hadn't said a single word to him. Warren knew she had to be mad, but he hadn't expected Roma to hold a grudge for so long. It just didn't seem like her.

The two silently worked through the worksheet Ms. Elast had handed out at the beginning of class. They would probably be done much faster if they exchanged observations or divided the load in half. Besides, he couldn't even concentrate long enough to read a paragraph. Roma's silence was unnerving to him. Warren felt guilty and anxious. He just wanted her to talk to him, maybe crack one of her lame jokes. He suddenly wished he'd told Layla about the whole episode with Amber. The redhead definitely would've given him some helpful advice.

"Why are you so unsettled?"

Roma's inquiry surprised Warren and his head jerked up to look at her. She wasn't looking at him. Her green eyes were trained on the paper on her desk, quickly scanning the text. He had to wonder just how she knew what he was feeling. He'd been doing a great job of keeping his distance and his cool façade.

"You can't read minds, can you?" Warren asked jokingly.

"I wouldn't ask why if I could."

"Good point."

They fell silent once more. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when he realized he wasn't sure which words to use. Why were apologies so hard?

"Listen, Warren. It's none of my business if you like Layla or Amber," Roma said, giving him a look that silenced whatever interruption he was about to make, "or anyone else. I just honestly don't want us to go back to you giving me the silent treatment, because I enjoy your company. So, can we be okay?"

He was baffled. He couldn't remember the last girl that had been that blunt and direct with him. He told himself he shouldn't be that surprised though; it wasn't the first time she had been completely out there. Warren realized that Roma was giving him a way out; she was forgiving his actions without making him apologize for it. At the same time he felt relieved, he felt like a coward for not having the guts to say the words. Although he hoped he wouldn't need to say "I'm sorry" to her any time soon, Warren made a silent pact with himself to figure out how to say those words to her.

"We're okay," he finally told her with a small smile.

It was worth it just to see her smile back.

* * *

**Author's Note:** aaaand that was chapter 4! I hope everyone is liking the story so far. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you to everyone that added this story to their alerts and favorites.

How about a review next time as well? Hint, hint. :)

Super thanks to **Alice Rose Winter** and **Spyro Flavord Skittles** for the reviews!

On other news, I updated my profile page with some information, and I'm still on the look out for a qualified beta reader.

Also, I'm working on extras for the story. If anyone wants a peak, let me know!


	5. How To Save A Life

**Chapter Five – How To Save A Life**

_Let him know that you know best  
__'Cause after all you do know best  
__Try to slip past his defense  
__Without granting innocence_

~ The Fray ~

* * *

As far as Roma understood, Save the Citizen was PE for kids with superpowers. Despite it sounding more thrilling than dodge ball and field hockey, she wanted nothing to do with it. The girl was glad that she'd been allowed to skip the school-wide activity in favor of private training sessions with a teacher named Staten Sutherland. His ability was power manipulation, what meant he could weaken or enhance other people's powers, and his goal was to help Roma take control of her power. Since their abilities were in the same category, he had some idea of how to help the girl.

The reason they had their training sessions at the same time Save the Citizen took place was because all the students had to be in the gym, what meant all the teachers had a free period to catch up on their work – or to serve as Roma's training tool. It was Ms. Elast that helped them, mesmerized by the fact the teen girl could experience any power she wanted. _It's a very rare ability to have_. It only made Roma feel more out of place and different, because she was weird even among super people.

Staten had had quite a surprise on their second session, when Roma had guessed what he was feeling even before he'd uttered a word to her. She'd walked into the room and asked him why he was so preoccupied. Given that he had always been great at keeping his inner troubles to himself during work hours, he'd been intrigued. He had run his hand through his curly hair and asked how she knew about his worries. Roma had looked confused and shrugged. She then complained when he made her tell him what other teachers were feeling instead of having her practice power mimicry.

"I think you're an empath," he had told her. "I think that, for some reason, your power also lets you sense people's feelings."

"Awesome," Roma had replied in a dejected manner. "Not only do I have to deal with my own feelings, I'll also have to deal with other people's emotions. That's just what any teenage girl wants to worry about. We can't tell anyone for now, ok?"

"But this is a wonderful thing, Roma!" Staten had tried to argue with her. "Not only do you have the unique chance to experience any ability and power you want, but you can also feel every single emotion and know what they are."

"Please, don't tell anyone for now, Staten. I don't want people to bother me about it."

He had agreed to keep quiet about it, much to her relief. Empathy turned out to be a lot easier to control than power mimicry, maybe because it was a secondary power. She was getting good at sensing others. She practiced that power now and then, and managed to identify the feelings most of the time. Roma even realized that it was easier to read one person than other. Layla and Will, for example, were open books: they wore their emotions all around them. Magenta was a bit harder to feel, because she had a wall around herself. Warren was almost impossible; while Magenta's wall was made of cement, Warren's was made of steel: he shut himself off so much, Roma could barely get a feel for him – except when Layla was talking to him, the only times he opened up a bit.

Roma was leaving her locker and making her way to class on that Monday, when Staten caught her before Hero History. It was the first time he had ever talked to her outside of training sessions, what certainly meant bad news. His information turned out to be terrible: Principal Powers wanted her to join Save the Citizen, since she thought Roma had gotten every benefit possible from Staten's lessons. When asked how the principal knew about her progress, the young teacher confessed that he had to write development reports. He had kept her secondary ability out of the paperwork though.

That was why Roma found herself sitting on the bleachers on that moment, instead of being in a secluded classroom. Layla was sitting between Magenta and her, while Ethan, Zach, Will and Warren sat behind them. The group filled her in on the game's rules and the powers of other students, but Roma could barely focus – the pyrokinetic was sitting right behind her and his legs would brush her back every now and then, making her tingly and warm. A few minutes later, she leaned back to stretch her back and Warren opened his legs so she could fit between them. It allowed her to rest on the bleachers so she wouldn't be hunching anymore. Roma was sure that she was the only one that noticed or cared about the gesture though.

"I hope nobody picks me," the blonde managed to say after a while, and her friends laughed.

"Blondie, Boomer's been itching to pick you. Everyone wonders where you disappear to."

"He asked Layla about you the first session we had and she didn't know where you were," Ethan explained, anticipating her question. "He didn't ask again though, so someone must've told him."

"But nobody told _us_. Where _do_ you go?"

"Zach, it's not our business. She's a new student; I'm sure Powers has her doing all sorts of tests to make sure she's Sky High worthy," Magenta came to Roma's defense, offering her a rare smile. "I don't think he'll call you first, but he'll totally do so before the period is over."

Coach Boomer sat on his stool and scanned the crowd on the bleachers for a moment, clearly pausing when he got to where Roma was sitting. Even though he kept his eyes on her, he called out two other people: Amber Daniels and Blaise Cameron, Sky High's golden couple of the hour. They were dressed in gym clothes, like everybody else, but they managed to pull off the outfits and look as gorgeous as usual. When the two decided to be villains, Roma wasn't surprised – it definitely matched Amber. The villains then chose two students to be the heroes that would try to save the ugly dummy hanging in the middle of the gym, right above a giant grinder.

"What are their powers again?" Roma asked in an attempt to distract herself from Warren's touch. It was very unfair that he didn't seem to be affected at all, and she could only wish no one noticed how much it affected her.

"Amber's known as Ice Princess, not only because she's a total cold-hearted bitch, but also because she can control cold and ice."

"Getting a bit catty there, Maj," Will teased her just to get an eye roll in return. "Cameron can multiply himself. They like to team up in more ways than one."

"And they _always_ win," Ethan added.

The first round ended rather quickly, with Amber and Blaise winning without even breaking a sweat. One of the heroes had the ability to phase through objects, but Amber had frozen him in place within a minute of the game. Blaise had multiplied himself and ganged up on the hero girl, whose ability was to bring inanimate objects to life. The entire gym saw the dummy fall into the grinder and get chopped into pieces. Coach Boomer started yelling at the failed heroes, pointing out the flaws in their abysmal strategy. Roma realized that constructive criticism was not the gym teacher's forte.

She became immersed in Layla's story about a past Save the Citizen session, when the Ice Princess had almost frozen someone to death. Warren suddenly poked her shoulder very hard, making her give him a dirty look. Instead of responding, he simply motioned his head toward the center of the room. She turned around and saw everyone looking at her. The blonde girl pushed aside a flashback from her impromptu Power Placement weeks before, when the exact same thing had happened.

"The winners get to pick their opponents," Will reminded her, sticking his head between Layla's and Roma's. "They picked you and Valerie Tripp."

"Oppugn, get down here _NOW_!"

Roma was not happy about having to actually take part in the activity. Chances were she'd have to use her real power, and it'd stir up gossip about her once more, since she'd never exactly cleared up the assumption that her power was the same as Coach Boomer's. With a sigh, the blonde stood up and made her way down to the training area.

Earlier in the period, Magenta had told her that Valerie Tripp was Amber's best friend and puppy – she never defied her friend's words or actions, simply going along with everything the Ice Princess did. Valerie was as pretty as Amber, with shiny dark hair falling down to her chest, bright green eyes, and a cinnamon color that rivaled Claudia's. When Roma reached her, Valerie stuck her hand out and smiled warmly while introducing herself. She definitely didn't seem to be a mean girl, and Roma caught herself wondering how best friends could have such opposite personalities – sure, Claudia and her didn't have that much in common, but they were both nice, outgoing and a bit crazy.

Coach Boomer gave the teams all of thirty seconds to discuss possible strategies. During that time Valerie explained that she could turn electromagnetic energy into microwaves, manipulating them into effects like light, heat, and radiation. A whistle sounded and their three minutes to save the dummy started counting down. Almost immediately, Amber conjured ice darts from her fingertips and threw them in Roma's direction. Not wanting to find out if they were as sharp as they looked, the blonde girl grabbed her partner's hand and absorbed her power. Roma raised her hands and the darts melted when they were an inch away from hitting the girls.

Valerie wasn't the only one that looked at her with wide eyes and a shocked expression. Just about everyone was trying to figure out what had just happened. Another set of darts were launched toward them, as two copies of Blaise materialized beside him. Roma could still tell which one was the real Blaise, because one copy had shorter legs and the other one didn't have the Asian boy's slanted eyes. Valerie ran in the opposite direction from Roma, as they both escaped the new set of darts.

The Blaise copies went after Valerie, while the real one joined Amber in pursuing Roma. The boy managed to get a hold of her and the brunette beauty prepared herself to hit the girl with a freezing ray when four other Romas showed up. The entire gym went silent, except for the Blaise copies running after Valerie and the grinder still in motion. Roma used her rivals' momentary distraction to her advantage: she elbowed Blaise in the stomach and ran away just as two of her copies got to the boy. The copies wasted no time before jumping on him to pin the boy to the ground. The real Roma barely had the time to register that only one of her copies was perfect; the other three all had small differences.

At the same time, Valerie had managed to keep the Blaise copies away from her by temporarily blinding one with a flash of light, and making a heat shield around herself. The copy that tried to reach the girl started melting before disappearing into thin air. She then tried to make a move for the dummy, but Amber directed her partner to stop her. When it became obvious that Blaise wouldn't get to Valerie on time, the Ice Princess shot her best friend with a ray. It created a huge mass of ice all around Valerie's legs, from her feet to her waist.

Blaise managed to get one of the Roma copies away from him long enough to stand up, but he didn't notice the two coming up behind him. All of the Roma copies disappeared as well when they made him fall against the wall. By the way he lay on the ground; it was safe to assume he had hit his head and passed out. Amber took one second to look at him before focusing on Roma once more.

"Looks like it's just you and I now. You're going to lose," Amber said the last part in a way that made it sound like both a threat and a promise.

Roma saw the brunette curl her lips in an evil smile, clearly planning something. She then started tossing golf-sized balls of ice in the blonde girl's direction. Lucky for her, Amber didn't have the best aim. The ice balls hit the wall behind Roma, leaving cracks on the glass. With only thirty seconds left on the clock, the Ice Princess was certain of her victory. Her smug facial expression showed that.

Something snapped inside Roma. She knew everyone expected her to lose, because she was the new girl, this was her first time playing that stupid game, and Amber never lost. The blonde decided to prove them all wrong. If Amber Daniels could breeze through Save the Citizen, so could she. Even though she would regret it later, Roma focused as hard as she could to absorb her rival's power. She'd practiced long distance absorption several times, and it was slightly easier for her to actually do it, even if it still took its toll.

It was like jumping into a very cold shower or stepping through a waterfall. The sudden wave of cold hit her and spread through her entire body at once. As expected, Amber couldn't tell that she was sharing her power on that moment. She was preparing to set her next attack in motion, holding a ball of blue light in her hands. She hurled it toward Roma, not believing her eyes when the girl easily caught it.

Roma flung the ball back, hitting Amber right on the chest. The Ice Princess turned into an ice statue, the angry expression frozen in place. Still using the girl's power, Roma made the grinders cold enough to get them to stop. Carefully, she climbed on the machine and grabbed the dummy, just as Valerie finally finished melting the ice that had been trapping her. When the timer announced the end of the session, Coach Boomer stood there speechless. It took him a long moment to come out of his stupor and announce the girls as winners.

The gym erupted in clapping and cheers coming from the people on the bleachers. Even the ones that always hung out with Amber and Blaise were celebrating the unexpected results. Valerie ran up to Roma and hugged her, whispering that this was the first time in a long while that she had won Save the Citizen. When the dark beauty asked her who they should pick as their opponents, Roma frowned.

"You mean that winning this thing doesn't give me the right of sitting back down?"

"No. You play until you lose," Coach Boomer clarified. "And no losing on purpose."

By the time the bell rang, indicating the end of the school day, Roma was feeling tired, sweaty and smelly. She was exhausted, because Valerie and she had somehow managed to remain undefeated for the rest of the rounds. The new girl didn't even pay attention to the looks people were giving her, now that they knew she didn't have Coach Boomer's power. They were probably trying to figure out if it was possible for her to have every power imaginable. She had to give her friends some credit, because they managed to wait a few minutes before asking anything about what had just happened.

When Roma said "power mimicry," Ethan's eyes went wide and he explained what that meant. Her friends looked impressed and she felt like hiding. Although Staten had told her to expect that kind of reaction when the word got out, she still didn't like it. Roma managed to dodge the questions about her parents' identities. She didn't even mention her grandparents. Grandmother Emilia Guerra was known as the retired super heroine Secret Keeper, because she had the power of knowing people's deepest secret by touching them. Mrs. Guerra's husband, Fernando Guerra, whose ability was to remember everything, worked as her partner – Memory Man.

Strangely, Warren had been the one to come to her rescue when the other kept asking questions. He knew she had to go to tutoring and urged the others to get to the locker rooms so they could change out of their gym clothes. Roma thanked him for it the next day in Hero History, when he pretended not to know what she meant. She smiled at him before Ms. Elast called out the two to present their research. The girl did most of the talking, but Warren answered questions satisfactorily when the teacher instructed him to do so.

Roma hoped nobody had paid attention to her that day, because she felt herself going pale every time her mother was mentioned. Two groups mentioned her in passing, because she had been a nemesis to more than one hero or heroine. It was incredibly hard for the girl to keep her cool when the last group talked more in depth about her mother's villainous career. She had read about the things Lady Fear had done, but listening to them was so much worse. Some of her classmates asked her if she was related to any of the heroes or sidekicks they had presented. Roma simply denied everything, glad that no one thought of asking her if she was related to any of the villains.

"We moved movie night to tonight this week," Layla announced when they gathered for lunch that Friday. "So you _have_ to come."

"Yeah. No excuses this time," Ethan added. "We told you to save the date, remember?"

"I know," Roma managed a smile.

In all honesty, she felt guilty about not hanging out with Claudia and Patrick as much as they used to do. They talked on the phone or online every day, but it wasn't the same. Roma was getting used to Sky High and she liked her friends there, but it was still hard not having her "besties" with her. She still saw Claudia rather often, since they lived on the same block, but it was a different story with Patrick. His job kept him busy, so she tried to visit him at work every now and then. The two of them had been incredibly nice to Roma, telling her to accept the invitation to movie night. They wanted to hang out with her, but they also thought she should hang out with her new school friends.

"We agreed that you should pick since it's your first time joining us," Magenta told her.

"Anything is fine with me. I don't know what everyone likes."

"Everyone prefers something different, but we all watch everything without complaining too much. Those are the rules."

"Will's right. So don't be afraid to choose as per your heart's desire!" Zach teased her.

"I'll just bring something from home then. Dad and I have a huge collection," Roma decided. "I also have loads of Trick's movies. I'm always stealing his stuff, but he loves me so much he lets me get away with it most of the time."

Warren threw her a look, but Roma couldn't read it. Magenta scribbled her address on a piece of paper and handed it to the blonde girl, instructing her to arrive at eight o'clock sharp. When asked why she hadn't invited her friends to come along, she confessed the thought hadn't occurred to her – besides, she didn't want to impose by inviting other people to someone else's house without checking first.

After tutoring, Roma managed to get a lot of her homework done. She didn't want to have to worry about it over the weekend. She wanted to go to the Bowling Chamber, which was a bowling alley and restaurant owned and run by Patrick's family. It was their backup hangout spot whenever Slide was too crowded. After a quick shower, Roma changed into skinny jeans and a jersey top with the picture of a black cat on the front. She braided her hair in a fishtail and applied a light layer of gloss to her lips before leaving her room.

"Hey, sweetie," Silas Oppugn surprised his daughter when she walked into the kitchen. "You look nice. Where are you going?"

"Thanks. Movie night with my Sky High friends at Magenta's. I sent you a text about it?"

"Let me check," he said, pulling his phone out. "Sounds good. Do you need money or a ride?"

"No. I'm taking one of Trick's movies and her house is within walking distance."

"Alright. I'm out. I forgot to bring this book to the restaurant," he waved the volume around before giving her a goodbye hug. He was almost at the front door when he shouted to her: "A letter came for you in the mail. Check the coffee table."

"Ok! Thanks!"

Roma quickly found the movie she was looking for in one of the TV room's shelves. She was about to go outside when she thought of the letter her father had mentioned. The girl knew it could wait, but she was curious. The only things she got in the mail were school notices, catalogs of presents from her grandparents in New York. Who could have sent her something? After checking the time on her phone, Roma decided she could spare a minute to solve that mystery.

The light blue envelope was on the top of the mail pile. Her name and address were typed on it, not written. There was no stamp, what meant it hadn't gone through the post office. Someone had deposited it in their mailbox personally. She picked up the envelope and carefully turned it around, furrowing her eyebrows when she saw no return address. Her fingers trembled, though Roma told herself there was no reason to be apprehensive. If Claudia was there, she would've guessed a secret admirer had sent the piece of mail. Roma thought it was more likely that one of her friends was pulling a prank on her.

She opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. The words had been typed as well and barely covered one side of the plain white paper. Her eyes went straight to the bottom of the page, looking for a signature. When Roma realized just who had written that letter, her expression turned to shock.

It was from the mother that had walked out on her ten years before.

* * *

**Author's Note:** so, because I got a few more reviews and A LOT of alerts and favorite adds, I decided to post chapter 5 a couple of days earlier (since my usual Post Day is Thursday). Thank you so much for all the ads. Also, if you're too lazy or time pressed to log in, I have anonymous reviews enabled. :) Special thank yous and virtual cookies go to: _Regin, Spyro Flavord Skittles, CuteLikeMomiji _and _Alice Rose Winter_. I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter and drop a review if possible. Let me know what you like, what you don't, what you want more of, etc, etc.


	6. You Could Be Happy

**Chapter Six – You Could Be Happy**

_You could be happy and I won't know  
__But you weren't happy, the day I watched you go  
__And all the things I wished I had not said  
__Are played on loops till it's madness in my head_

~ Snow Patrol ~

* * *

The next time Warren saw Roma was on that Tuesday morning. He spotted the blonde girl standing in front of Nurse Spex's office, biting on her lower lip, looking as if she wasn't sure whether she should knock on the nurse's door or not. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail and she had dark circles under her eyes, telling him that she hadn't slept in a couple of days. The outfit she wore - plain jeans, navy Chucks, and a gray sweater - were a far cry from Roma's usually colorful looks. Principal Powers had told them the girl was home sick with food poisoning, but Warren would bet there had to be something more than that going on to make Roma look so out of sorts and gloomy.

Layla, who had been distractedly rattling about something she'd seen on the news that morning, was the second one to spot their blonde friend. Her entire face broke out in a relieve smile before she ran to tackle the other girl in a tight hug. Roma dropped her things on the floor and staggered backwards, but managed to keep them from tumbling down. Nurse Spex came out of her office on that moment to check what was the commotion going on in the hallway. Layla apologized for the disturbance, while Roma busied herself with picking up her books and avoided looking at the two.

When Will, Zach, Magenta and Ethan caught up to the two girls, they all started talking at the same time, throwing around questions without even giving Roma enough time to answer them. Ethan cracked one of the nerdy math jokes that they both enjoyed so much, but she didn't even muster up a smile. Seeing that she felt overwhelmed by all the attention she was receiving, Warren decided to intervene.

"Guys, give her some space. She can't even get a word out."

Roma and Layla turned to face him at the same time, though the looks they gave him meant different things. Roma looked surprised, then confused. Warren could clearly read her thoughts in her face on that moment, and realized that she wasn't sure why he'd spoken on her behalf. Honestly, he didn't really know his reasons himself. Layla's look, on the other hand, revealed mild embarrassment, as if she felt ashamed of not thinking about backing off first.

"He's right. We were just worried about you," the redhead admitted with a sheepish smile. "Principal Powers said you had a bad case of food poisoning."

"We called you a bunch of times, but got your voicemail every time."

"I, uh, turned off my phone."

"Why?" Layla couldn't help asking. "You didn't even call us back to say you were okay."

"I didn't let _Patrick _into my room when he came to my house. I didn't call _Claudia_ back. And they're my absolute favorite people in the world. What makes you think I would've called _you_ back?"

That earned a moment of silence. They all looked at her with disbelief – except for Warren; he was sure his expression had more anger than shock in it. They'd never seen Roma act so testy before, not even when Amber threw random insults at her. She seemed to realize the effect of her words a second later, when Layla's gaze dropped to the floor. The redhead made an effort not to tear up. It made Warren angry in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. Layla was the nicest person he'd ever met and didn't deserve to be treated that way. He didn't care what made Roma so morose; nothing gave her the right to behave that way.

After a long moment, Will put an arm around Layla's shoulders and suggested they go to the auditorium, since the bell was about to ring anyway. His girlfriend nodded wordlessly and walked with him when. Zach, Magenta and Ethan followed after throwing questioning looks at Roma, who busied herself with shoving her things into her backpack. Warren stayed behind, but didn't speak as he continued watching the blonde, noticing how choppy her breathing was, seeing that she felt angry as well. He wondered if she was angry at herself or at him for staying.

"What?" Roma asked once she stood up.

"Why were you such an asshole to Layla?" he didn't bother measuring his words. "She only wanted to know what's wrong."

"You're one to talk, Warren. Don't you remember you were just as rude to me when I first met you? I only wanted to be your friend."

"It's not the same thing!" he shot back, defensively.

"You're right. It's not the same thing," she conceded and it was his turn to be confused. "You didn't like me, but you like Layla."

"Of course I like Layla. _Everybody_ likes Layla. She's a good friend."

Warren tried not to think that it sounded like he was defending himself. Maybe it was because it sounded like she was accusing him.

"You like her as more than a friend… I don't think anyone knows."

"Because there's _nothing_ to know! That's ridiculous! You don't know what you're talking about. Just make sure you apologize. You know how sensitive she is."

He didn't wait to hear anything else and walked away, leaving Roma alone. She was wrong. Even though Warren would never admit to anyone, he'd had a harmless crush on Layla when they first became friends, but he'd been totally over it for quite a while. He'd begun seeing the redhead as a sort of sister and any romantic feelings or thoughts about her had disappeared. His thoughts involving Roma were the only romantic ones he'd been having lately. He was glad he was able to keep them secret or his friends would accuse him of having a crush on her.

Warren found his friends in the auditorium and silently took the seat next to Zach. Though he tried not to think of Roma, he couldn't help noticing that the announcements were not as fun without her and her witty remarks. A few minutes after his arrival, he saw the auditorium's side doors open. It was Roma, doing her best to slip in unnoticed. She walked over to Valerie Tripp when the girl snagged her attention with a wave of hands.

Amber, sitting two rows behind Valerie, disconnected herself from Cameron's lips only long enough to throw an angry glance at the newly arrived student. Roma didn't bother saying anything in reply before she sat beside Valerie. Warren watched as the blonde interacted with his ex-girlfriend's best friend and the people around them. She smiled and acted playfully. How could she be so happy with them when she had so easily snapped at Layla? It made him angry again.

"Leave her be," the redhead said, touching his knee. "Something's up with Roma, but she's not ready to share yet."

"How come you're not mad at her?" he asked, not even wondering if she'd read his mind or if his feelings had been so apparent. Layla had always been highly perceptive.

"I'm upset, but I know Roma didn't mean it. She'll apologize and things will be okay. She seems fine with them, but only because it's easier to fake happiness when you're not around your real friends."

The pyrokinetic didn't reply. Despite his friend's words, when History class rolled around, he found himself unable to talk to her. For her part, Roma mostly avoided looking at him as well. It was weird to play that game, since they'd become friendlier and closer over the last few weeks. He didn't like it, but Warren wouldn't make the first move to apologize either. Roma was nowhere to be seen during lunch. They wondered where she'd disappeared to, but didn't go looking for the girl. Layla insisted they had to give her time and space, saying the girl would come around on her own. Warren couldn't tell if that was a certainty or just a hope. However, it didn't take long for her words to be proven right.

Rather shyly, Roma approached the group as people still walked into the gym. They were all in exercise clothes, chatting and trying to guess whose idea it'd been to alternate between Save the Citizen and regular PE when she appeared. Her eyes met Warren's for a brief moment before she focused on Layla. The apology followed shortly after, quiet and sincere. The redhead accepted it with a hug, and then shushed Zach when he pressed Roma for information on her weekend activities.

"I hear we're not doing Save the Dummies this week," the blonde commented after a while, hugging herself. Anyone could tell she felt awkward.

"Yeah. Apparently, playing team sports without relying on our powers is supposed to teach us something about teamwork," Will told her with a shrug. "We started off with hockey."

"How clever of them to find yet another way to make me sweat."

"I was picked captain," he continued and it didn't seem to surprise her, "so I told Coach Boomer you'd be in our team when you came back."

Roma didn't have time to say anything, since Coach Boomer started yelling at the students to walk forward to pick up their gear. Warren motioned to follow everyone, but something stopped him. Roma was holding his arm softly, having placed one of her hands on a spot right below his elbow. He was highly aware of her touch, because it felt like his warmth was moving to that spot, pooling under her fingers, as if she were taking some of it for herself. When that thought crossed his mind, he wondered if that was actually what she was doing.

"I'm sorry about before."

"It's okay," he grunted at her after a moment.

"No, it's not."

"I just said it is."

"But you didn't really mean it."

She was right, but Warren would not admit it. He wanted to be okay with her, but something kept him from letting go. He didn't like thinking that the sweet and nice Roma he'd come to know could also be mean and hurtful. Before either one could continue, Coach Boomer called out their names, noting they were the only ones without gear. Warren looked at Roma for a second longer before shaking her hand away and walking to join the others.

Just as it'd happened the day before, Amber had used her powers to freeze the two pools that were usually under the Save the Citizen arena. The ice surface was perfectly smooth, what pleased the people that knew how to ice skate. Most of the students weren't that skilled though and quite a few could barely glide from one side of the rink to another without falling. Warren was surprised to see Roma was doing rather well. Layla, on the other hand, could barely stand.

There wasn't much of a game going on most of the time, since people fell so frequently. Coach Boomer told the students that on Thursday they'd be allowed to use their powers in the game, what made some people cheer. When he released everyone fifteen minutes early, there wasn't a single complaint. Warren and the other boys waited for Layla, Roma and Magenta outside the girls' locker room. When they stepped out, the blonde was not with them.

"Where's Roma?" Ethan asked the girls.

"We thought she might be with you. She never came to the locker room."

"Amber was the last one to walk in."

Warren felt uneasy when he heard that. He remembered his ex-girlfriend's promise of making Roma's life hell. She hadn't acted on it yet, apart from throwing insults at the blonde. What if she'd done something now? With a start, he ran back to the gym with his friends right behind him. After he explained his theory, they split up to look for their friend all around the gym. There weren't many places where she could be, so they were stumped when they couldn't find her by the time the last bell rang.

Will was wondering aloud what Amber could have done, when Zach pointed out that it wouldn't have been hard for her to manipulate the ice in the pool to make someone fall in the freezing water. Ethan was reluctant to accept such idea, because trapping Roma under the ice and not telling anyone where to find the girl would mean a serious risk to Roma's health. She could drown or develop hypothermia. Amber couldn't possibly be _that_ mean. It'd be _evil_.

"We should check just in case," Zach said with a worried shrug.

"Better safe than sorry, right?" Magenta said and pressed a button on the gym's control panel. The Save the Citizen arena moved to reveal the two pools, still perfectly frozen.

"Oh my god," Layla exclaimed when she inched closer to one of the pools. Under the layer of ice, they could see Roma's body perfectly still.

Warren didn't think before making his way to stand above her location. He placed his palms on the ice and it started melting immediately. Deciding that wasn't fast enough, Will used his super speed to move next to his friend and then punched the ice next to Roma's body, making a hole in it. He carefully pulled his hand out, so the ice wouldn't break too much and cause them to fall in as well. Warren and him worked together to make the hole big enough for Roma to pass through. They worked as quickly as they could, because the longer she stayed under the ice and water, the greater were the chances of something really serious happening to her.

Finally, Will was able to get Roma out of the water. He carried her away from the pool and gently laid her on the gym floor, where the others joined them. Warren couldn't stop staring at the girl. Her pale skin had a hint of blue to it and her lips were purple. He watched Will check for her breathing and had to control himself not to go looking for Amber. Roma wasn't breathing. Magenta pushed Will aside, asking Warren to keep the girl warm while she performed CPR. Will worked on untying the heavy ice skates from Roma's feet as Warren quietly ran his hands over her arms.

They all breathed in relief when Roma's body jerked up and she coughed. Magenta turned the blonde on her side, so she could spit out the water she'd swallowed. Roma started shivering so violently, she didn't even protest when Warren scooped her up in his arms and Layla handed her a towel. He told the girls to bring Roma's dry clothes to Nurse Spex's room, then rushed toward it. The blonde girl was so light; he had no problem carrying her. When the nurse asked what had happened, Roma claimed she'd slipped into the ice cold pool.

"Hm," the older lady didn't seem that convinced, but she didn't press on the issue. "I'm going to get you something. In the meantime, keep her warm, Peace."

"You can put me down now, Warren."

He tried to be gentle when he set her down on the examination bed. She looked momentarily surprised when he sat next to her. Roma shot him an inquisitive glance when Warren put his arms around her shoulders and hugged her tightly.

"You heard what she said. I'm supposed to keep you warm." Warren's words managed to get a half smile out of her. They were both quiet for a few moments as he rubbed her arms and let her take his warmth. "You have to report what happened. Amber needs to be punished."

"I know you're still upset with her, but-"

"She could've killed you!" he interrupted, fuming that Roma assumed he only wanted to get back at his ex-girlfriend. That hadn't even crossed his mind.

"Why do you care? The hero in you saved me, Warren, and I'm thankful for that. But there's no reason for you to be this upset. You don't even like me."

Warren didn't respond, because he didn't know how to say that she was wrong. He did like her, more than he liked any other of his friends and more than he should like her. He didn't want to admit to his feelings, however, because feelings were trouble. And Roma was trouble. Liking her would be a complication he didn't need and didn't want to deal with.

"Roma, I-"

"I'm back," Nurse Spex announced, handing the girl a glass of water and two clear pills. "As soon as she takes these, your services won't be necessary anymore, Mr. Peace. Perhaps you should leave and let your girl friends help Roma with her clothes."

Warren didn't protest. Roma hadn't even acknowledged the nurse. She was looking at him, as if waiting for him to finish saying what he'd started. The moment was gone, as was his courage to tell her anything. He couldn't believe he'd come that close to confessing his feelings. When Layla and Magenta walked into the small room, he offered Roma an apologetic smile and left, wondering how many more times he'd have to walk away from her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I am so incredibly sorry that there was such a delay in posting this chapter. Real life caught up with me and I couldn't do anything for days.

Thank you everyone that added this story to their alert and favorite lists. And a super extra special thank you to the people that actually reviewed chapter 5! I will work on individual replies later today, but know that I appreciate each and every single review. You're the best! As usual, please let me know what you think and what you like or not and etc.

If you're interested, I finally managed to set up most of the blog I made for this story, with the chapters and some extras, like character pictures and deleted scenes and things of the such.

Go to my profile for the link or just type fumblingtowardlove (dot) tumblr (dot) com on your address field! Let me know if you visit the blog and what you think about it!

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!


	7. Mean Girls

**Chapter Seven – Mean Girls**

_Mean girls can't be forgiven  
__Mean girls make mean women  
__Mean girls  
__It starts on the playground pulling your hair  
__Then in high school it gets worse from there_

~ Sugarland ~

* * *

Anyone that saw Roma in that outfit would take a double look. It was nothing like her usual attire: a black top with capped sleeves combined with a pastel-colored wrap skirt and sparkly ballet flats. Her blonde hair had been styled in a side swept braid and she even had a bit of eye shadow on. She looked so different because every piece of clothing she wore, apart from her underwear, had been taken straight out of Claudia's Corner – a part of Roma's closet where her best friend kept some clothes, shoes and makeup items in case of emergencies and last minute sleepovers.

The reason for Roma's sudden makeover, which had resulted in a proper and stylish look, was that she had agreed to secretly meet her runaway super villain mother. It was as bad as it sounded, but she couldn't explain her reasons for agreeing. She knew everything people, newspapers and books had told her about Gabriella Guerra. But she also had hundreds of pictures tucked away in the attic that showed a happy, smiling mother. No one could blame Roma for being curious.

The girl's back was perfectly straight as she anxiously smoothed out invisible wrinkles from her top. The letter her mother had sent was carefully tucked in the small purse she had also borrowed from Claudia. She'd dedicated much of her time to think about her mother's request for a meeting at a place called Moonlight Diner, far from Roma's neighborhood. The girl knew that the right thing to do would be to call the authorities to arrest her mother, but she couldn't bring herself to do so.

A young waitress walked over to Roma and placed a glass of iced tea on the table, smiling sympathetically when the girl barely managed to mumble a thank you. Her nerves were shot and she couldn't concentrate on much more besides the fact that Gabriella Guerra was half an hour late. She didn't even think about how long she'd have to wait – Roma would sit there for as long as it took.

Another fifteen minutes passed before a tall and slender woman walked through the diner's doors. Her face was hidden behind a pair of big sunglasses, while her long hair fell in red curls that looked especially bright against the white shirt and khakis combination she wore. Her heels were impossibly high and she didn't seem to be carrying a purse with her. There was an air of elegance and superiority emanating from her.

Roma's mouth went dry when the woman took a seat across from her. The teen girl had been thrown off by the long red hair, because she'd grown accustomed to seeing pictures of her mother with shoulder-length blonde locks. Unsure of what to do or say, Roma remained silent, letting that beautiful woman – her mother, a stranger – make the first move.

"How are you today, my dear?"

"Uh, good. A bit nervous."

"Hi, there!" the waitress that had been attending Roma interrupted, suddenly appearing next to them. "I'm Taylor! Can I get you anything? I can also tell you about our specials of-"

"Did you see or hear one of us call you over here?" Gabriella Guerra asked with impatience.

"No, but-"

"Exactly. You'd do well to get back to your little life and give us some privacy. If we need anything, I'll be sure to whistle you over."

The waitress didn't know how to respond. Gabriella had kept her face neutral and her voice calm, but the room felt thirty degrees colder. Roma slouched on her chair, silently willing herself to disappear. When the waitress caught her eyes for a moment, the blonde girl managed to shoot her an apologetic look. She couldn't believe her mother had just berated the waitress when she was just trying to do her job. Gabriella's behavior didn't match up to the mother Roma faintly remembered. It did, however, match the description of the villain she'd heard about so many times.

Gabriella carefully removed her sunglasses and set them on the table. Her every movement was fluid and deliberate, like a seasoned ballerina getting through a dance routine. Her brown eyes surprised Roma, but the girl could tell the color came from contact lenses. It made her wonder just how much of the real Gabriella Guerra she was experiencing.

"She was just trying to be nice."

"She came off as annoying," her mother replied harshly. Seeing Roma's shock, Gabriella's expression seemed to soften a bit. "I'm anxious to be sitting here with you. I didn't think you'd come."

"Of course I would. I really wanted to see you. To talk to you."

Gabriella smiled for the first time since her arrival and Roma found herself smiling back. It wasn't a warm reunion with hugs and kisses, but it wasn't a bad meeting either. She didn't mind it, because extreme affection would have been awkward after an eleven-year absence. Roma much preferred a logical, collected conversation – at least that's what she told herself.

It was hard getting any information out of the woman. All answers were vague and mysterious. Apparently, Gabriella had been all around the world during those years. Her world wanderer lifestyle had made it difficult to get in touch with her daughter. She seemed to be carefully measuring her words to avoid making mention of her specific activities and status as a wanted fugitive. After a few more minutes of evading questions, Gabriella switched the focus to Roma, who was glad her mother was interested in learning more about her.

The woman asked about everything, from childhood memories and her favorite things to do to her father and grandparents. Roma noticed that her mother didn't ask many questions about her friends and academic life, at least not until she mentioned the transfer to Sky High. The questions came quickly after that little detail was mentioned.

"Have you made any friends there yet?"

"Yeah, but I really miss Claudia and Patrick. They're my best friends."

"Sure, sure. Who have you met at Sky High?" Gabriella asked curiously, dismissing the names of Claudia and Patrick quickly.

It occurred to Roma that maybe her mother would recognize some of her super friends' last names, since there was a good chance that their parents had attended Sky High with her. The girl watched her mother closely as she obediently rattled off the names of her new friends. Gabriella's expression was blank until Will Stronghold and Warren Peace were mentioned. She seemed surprised, but the flash of emotion was gone in a second. Roma thought she saw something else too before Gabriella's neutral façade settled once more.

Exactly one hour after her arrival, the elegant woman announced that she had to leave and departed without any hugs, kisses or heartfelt words. She acknowledged her daughter and promised to stay in touch, then left. Roma watched her mother pass by the diner's window and walk across the street before taking a right. Gabriella didn't look back once.

Roma needed to talk to someone, but she couldn't think of anyone that would hear the whole story without judging her or pointing out how dangerous her choices had been. She didn't want to burden anyone with that sort of knowledge either – Roma was sure that she could end up in jail for not disclosing her mother's whereabouts. But she needed someone to at least distract her for a bit. Patrick would be pissed off for her recent behavior, but Claudia would be able to control her temper and give her time to explain. With that thought in mind, Roma pulled out her cell phone as she began walking home and dialed one of the few numbers she knew by heart.

"It's nice to learn you've come out of your self-imposed exile," Claudia said after the third dial. She was going straight to the point.

"Ouch," Roma flinched, "I deserve that. I've been a crappy friend lately."

"What good would I be if I didn't call you out on it? Besides, you knew to call _me_ first instead of Pat."

"He's mad, isn't he?"

Claudia chuckled at the question. They knew Patrick was all about talking problems through. He absolutely loathed when his friends or family kept things bottled up, as he was sure it only made problems bigger and worse. Roma was going to hear it from him. She knew it was inevitable.

"I'm sure seeing your pretty face in person will do wonders to Pat's mood. And I really want to go to the town carnival in Pembroke. So maybe we should combine the two? Saturday?"

Roma had to laugh at that. It was just like Claudia to try to keep the peace like that. They talked about the carnival for a while, making plans to call Patrick and go to the event that coming weekend. Before she hung up, Claudia told her to invite her new friends to tag along – it was about time she combined the two circles of friends.

That was how, the next day, Roma found herself asking Layla and the others if they wanted to go to Pembroke's carnival. They all agreed on the spot, except for Warren. Layla pouted at that and tried to convince the pyrokinetic to join them.

"It will be fun!" the redhead said. "We can eat all sorts of food and go on the rides!"

"I have to work."

"The whole day?" Will asked. "They can't make you work twelve hours, man."

Roma wasn't surprised. She'd bet good money that part of the reason for Warren's refusal to go was because of what had happened on Tuesday, when she had implied that the boy still had feelings for Amber Daniels. She hadn't meant any harm, but he clearly hadn't seen it the same way. Roma had to wonder if Warren and she would ever go back to having easy conversations about their favorite books again. Maybe their truce just wasn't meant to last.

Layla's power of persuasion had to be as good as her power to manipulate plants, because by the end of the day, she had Warren agreeing to go to the carnival. Not only that, he'd also agreed to ask to borrow his mother's car, so they could drive there instead of having to deal with public transportation on a weekend schedule. When Layla told Roma, she smiled about it, but she could feel Warren watching her for her reaction. He seemed to know exactly what was going through her mind.

Claudia squealed on the phone that night, when Roma called to say that her super friends would meet them by the carnival's ticket booth on Saturday morning. The Indian girl said Patrick would pick them up at her house, so maybe they should have a sleepover. Roma smiled and agreed with no hesitation. She had definitely missed this easygoing nature of Claudia's and their friendship. She even humored her best friend and talked to her about what outfits they should wear.

There was nothing that could spoil Roma's mood, not even the nasty remarks Amber threw at her during lunch on that Friday. It had been a few days since the Ice Queen had personally targeted her, so the blonde girl dismissed the words quickly. It didn't seem like Amber was intent on doing much that day, until they got to Save the Citizen. After the students banded together in their usual teams, a flip of a coin determined that Amber's team would play against Will's.

Although Roma wasn't much of a hockey player, she managed to assist her team whenever possible. It became clear to her that Amber wasn't willing to find a new target when the Ice Queen stuck her hockey stick in front of her, send her flying down on the ice. If Warren hadn't been around to catch her, Roma would've fallen face first on the cold surface.

Amber continued her plan of attack so subtly that Coach Boomer didn't seem to notice it. She elbowed Roma three times when both of them were going after the puck, then shoved her into a wall twice when trying to make a pass, not to mention the many times her hockey stick accidentally hit the blonde girl. Roma tried to stay calm and skate away from the Ice Princess, but she wouldn't leave her alone.

Class was about to end when Amber once more pushed Roma. This time the blonde girl fell and rolled to the side of the rink. She could feel bruises already forming on her skin and her patience coming to its breaking point. A junior student came to a halt and helped her up. Roma realized that she absorbed the student's telekinetic power without meaning too. Deciding that Amber had done enough, Roma focused her mind on the Ice Princes and caused the girl's ice skates to catch on the ice surface. An instant later, Amber stumbled down on the ice, making a high pitched scream echo through the gym.

Roma didn't stay to watch the damage she'd caused and walked off to the locker room even before Coach Boomer dismissed everyone. She would never have done that to anyone else, because she honestly didn't believe violence was the answer to anything. But she couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for Amber, not after everything Amber had already done to her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** here's the next chapter! Thank you everyone that read and took the time to review - you're super extra special! And also thanks to the people that added me or this story in their alert/favorites list. I really appreciate it. I'm review hungry, if you want to appease me, but it's okay if you don't - I'm just glad you like reading the story.

You can go to my profile to a link to the FTL blog, where I post fun extras like character pictures/profiles, deleted scenes, etc.

Speaking of that, would anyone be interested in seeing something that doesn't show up in the story? I was thinking of writing and post "missing scenes" (for example the conversation between Roma and Gabriella from chapter 06) and other moments like that. Would anyone be interested in reading? Also, if you'd like to see something happen between the characters, I'm open to prompts and suggestions! Thank you very much!


	8. Just For

**Chapter Eight – Just For**

_I want to take his eyes out  
__Just for looking at you, yes I do  
__I want to take his hands off  
__Just for touching you, yes I do_

~ Nickelback ~

* * *

They'd been standing by the ticket booth for twenty minutes, watching the crowd grow bigger and bigger. There wasn't any sign of Roma and the two best friends she'd promised to bring along. As Warren continued to wait, he berated himself for letting Layla talk him into going to that blasted carnival in Pembroke. He didn't like crowds or care for overpriced hot dogs and caramel apples. Layla had pulled that sad puppy face of hers and everyone else had asked him to come along – except for Roma. He'd come just to spite her. She didn't seem particularly keen on having him around since he'd last walked away from her. Maybe spending more time with the blonde was the only way to figure out why she made Warren feel like he was on an emotional rollercoaster.

"There they are!" Will suddenly exclaimed.

They all followed the direction he pointed and saw as Roma and two people talked. Warren recognized them immediately. The girl had to be Claudia. She wore a delicate pink dress with polka dots and carried a small pink purse in her hands. She was giggling at whatever her friends were saying, bursting into full on laughter when the tall blonde guy grabbed Roma and threw her over one of his shoulders. He laced one of his arms around her legs, bringing them close to his chest. Roma laughed, not caring that her butt was propped up for everyone to see.

Warren did his best to hide his irritation and jealousy. He wished Roma could act as carefree around him as she did with that guy, but he knew that was never going to happen. They'd barely had a conversation since their last attempt at a truce. She had no reason to even remotely like him; he made it hard for her too.

The three friends finally reached them, but the blonde guy didn't set Roma down. She did the introductions from his shoulder, arching her back so she could turn around and look at everyone. Warren didn't pay much attention to what they were saying, silently wondering if the girl had any idea just how sexy she looked on that moment. She wore gray denim shorts that emphasized her curves nicely and a multicolored shirt with splatters of blue. Because of her awkward position on Patrick's shoulder, the shirt rode up a little to reveal the pale skin of her waist. Warren's hands curled into tight fists when the realization that he was wishing he was the one carrying Roma hit him.

It was clear that just like Roma; Patrick had no sense of personal space. They touched each other every other moment – pokes, playful shoves, tickles, even hand holding. Warren had to wonder if Claudia ever felt left out. There was no doubt she was part of the group – the two blonde teens often asked her questions, included her in conversation or waited for her to catch up to them – but the chemistry between the two was almost overwhelming. If Layla could read his thoughts, she'd say that Warren was jealous. He supposed he did feel a bit jealous, but it was a waste of time. Something was bound to happen between Patrick and Roma sooner or later.

Warren was glad that his thoughts were interrupted by Will, who tapped him on the shoulder to indicate everyone was walking away. They got tickets for a few rides, heading straight to the bumper cars, the only one everyone seemed to agree on. Each person took a different car and anxiously waited for the ride to start. By far, Patrick and Warren were the best drivers, possibly because they were the only ones that drove in real life. For the most part, the pyrokinetic was trying to stay out of everyone's way.

Clearly, Roma had a different plan for him, because she bumped into his car with full force. After the crash, she just sat there in her bumper car, throwing a sassy smile his way. On an impulse, Warren decided to go after her and dish it back. The girl seemed to guess his intention, because she tried to turn her car around as fast as possible. He quickly caught up to her and kept bumping his car against hers for the rest of the ride. Each time she was jolted up or forward, Roma would explode in a fit of laughter. She remained in her car laughing even after the ride was over, so Warren walked over and offered a hand to help the girl up. She took it without hesitation.

"I swear you almost made me pee my pants just now!"

"What a sweet thing to say," Warren teased her.

"I have a way with words."

The pyrokinetic smiled at her, taking notice that she was still holding his hand. Their moment ended when both Layla and Claudia yelled their names out. They were trying to decide which ride should be next. Roma voted on the carousel, because it was closer to the food area than the fun slide, and she wanted to eat something.

There was a line for the carousel, what was not a big surprise: it was a popular ride with the younger kids. Warren stood in line behind everyone, watching Roma walk away after announcing that she was off to get some cotton candy. A few guys turned their heads to look at her and Warren couldn't even blame them. She did look really nice in that outfit. And she did stand out in the crowd with super long blonde hair and a tall frame.

"Is Roma not back yet?" Claudia asked him after twenty minutes. "It's almost our turn."

"I'll go get her."

"Are you sure? You might not get to go on the carousel."

"I think I'll survive," he replied flatly, then left to search for Roma.

After looking around the crowd for a while, Warren started to think that maybe the girl had gone to the bathroom. He couldn't see her anywhere. Just then, something caught his eye. Roma was standing between two food vendors, leaning on a wall and rapidly talking to someone. Warren couldn't make out who the person with her was, but he guessed it was a woman from the long red hair that flew around in the slight breeze. Roma seemed worried. Whatever the other woman was saying didn't please her.

Warren began making his way toward the girls, in time to see the redhead walk further into the gap between the food places and disappear. Roma looked around, as if making sure no one had seen them, then walked back to join the crowd. The cotton candy in her hand was still untouched. She didn't realize Warren was standing right next to her until he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Roma, are you okay?" he wanted to know.

"What?"

"I saw you talking to someone just now. It didn't seem like anything good."

"Oh, that. I was just, um, talking to this lady that said the apple pie wasn't good. She said the vendors don't keep it free. Fresh! I mean, fresh."

That was obviously not the truth, but he didn't push her. Maybe she'd rather talk to Patrick or Claudia or even Layla. He tried not to feel offended at the thought that Roma didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth. He reminded himself that he hadn't given her much reason to trust him, and just followed the girl as she finally reached their friends. A smile appeared on her face and there was no sign that anything troubling had just happened to her. Only a few moments passed before they got their turn to go on the carousel. Will, Layla, Magenta and Zach occupied two chariots, while the others took horses. Warren decided to skip out on the ride after all. When Layla pouted at him, he claimed to be saving himself for the Ferris Wheel, and her eyes lit up immediately.

They left the carnival around 5:30 pm, because they had to face a half hour drive back to Maxville and Warren wanted to get some rest before going to work at eight. Most weekends he got stuck with the closing shifts, what really didn't bother him much, since he didn't do anything more than the occasional movie night.

Warren's job at the Paper Lantern had been his mother's idea. Her best friend owned the place and had agreed to hire him as a personal favor. She'd wanted to train him to be part of the waiting staff, but his mom thought the job should also work as punishment for Warren's failing his freshman year at Sky High. So he'd started as a janitor of sorts, doing clean up duty wherever it was necessary and occasionally filling in for the dishwasher, whenever the machine broke or got overwhelmed by the number of dishes. By the time summer rolled around, Warren had worked his way up to being a busboy and backup delivery guy.

"We need you on the floor today," Mei, his boss and his mother's best friend, said as soon she saw him. "Carla just called in sick. I wouldn't have believed her if I hadn't heard how nasal and miserable she sounded."

Warren felt strangely nervous, probably because he hadn't had the proper training to be a waiter. Sure, Carla and the others often quizzed him on menu items and gave him tips on how to handle difficult customers and heavy trays, but he'd never waited on anyone – not even a trial run. The pyrokinetic silently hoped for the best as he picked up the tray and notepad Mei held out to him.

Since it was Saturday, there were two other people waiting on the customers. That meant each one was in charge of six tables. Four tables in Warren's section were empty, so he really only had to worry about two of them. An elderly couple occupied the first table. They were both slightly hard of hearing, and Warren had to repeat himself several times before they finally placed their orders. A family of five – parents and three young kids – sat around the other table. It took them a good ten minutes to get the children to decide on something.

Warren was chatting with the cooks when Jan, the night hostess, told him she'd just placed a small group in his section. Pad in hand; he walked over to the newly arrived customers, pausing when he noticed that Patrick and Roma were among them. What surprised him wasn't the fact that the two were there. The surprise was the realization that they weren't together.

Patrick held hands with a different girl. She was almost as tall as Roma, but that was where their similarities ended. She had her light brown hair in a pixie cut and big brown eyes. Her style was a perfect mix of Claudia's preference for florals and Roma's love for quirky sweaters: the girl's skirt and shoes were super feminine, while her shirt had the picture from a Pink Floyd album. Patrick looked at her with admiration in his eyes. He really liked that girl.

Roma wasn't on her own. She stood next to a tall guy with black hair that reached down to his chin. It reminded Warren of his own hair before he'd gotten it cut. The guy dressed in a very casual manner, in jeans and a simple white t-shirt underneath a black vest. He looked rather foolish wearing a fedora hat, but Roma didn't seem to mind it. She laughed when he said something in her ear. Warren felt an odd tug in his stomach when the guy placed his hand on the small of Roma's back.

"My name's Warren. I'll be your server tonight," he announced in a flat voice when he reached their table. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Warren, hi! I didn't know you were a waiter here."

"Just filling in for someone," he said, doing his best to ignore her bright smile. "What do you want to drink?"

The looks they exchanged didn't go unnoticed by the pyrokinetic. He knew he'd been rude, but he didn't care on that moment. Roma hadn't even told anyone that she was seeing someone. Warren walked away after writing their drink orders, trying to get his temper under control while placing soda cans and glasses on a tray. When he made his way back to the table, Patrick and the short-haired girl grabbed their drinks before saying goodbye to the other two. A moment later, Roma's date also stood up, but he walked to the restroom.

"What's good to eat?" the blonde girl asked once they were alone. "I didn't really get to try anything last time I was here."

Warren knew she was referring to the first time they'd seen each other, when she'd come to the Paper Lantern with Claudia and Patrick at the end of the summer. She giggled at her own remark. The reason why she hadn't been able to try anything was because she'd passed out after uncontrollably absorbing Warren's power.

"Everything's good. We have great cooks."

"Are you okay, War? You seemed a little… upset, I guess."

"I'm fine," he replied, ignoring the worry in her voice. "How's your date going?"

"It's a non-date actually. Patrick's girlfriend, Nola, has really overprotective parents. They made her cousin come as a chaperone, so Trick asked me to come keep Thomas company."

"He isn't doing a good job out of it," was the only quip the pyrokinetic could manage. Roma raised her eyebrows at him, but said nothing. "You look beautiful."

Warren thought it was a trick of the lighting, but the girl had blushed when he blurted his compliment out of nowhere. It was true though. She had her hair up in a bun with a thin braid going around it. Her face seemed to have an extra sparkle and he could notice the faint makeup on it, like what Layla wore to school sometimes. Roma wore a sleeveless dress that was black on the top and white on the bottom, with a blue print showing a city scene. When she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, the multitude of silver bracelets around her arm made a faint sound.

Her non-date, Thomas, returned before Roma could respond to Warren and his sudden compliment. The pyrokinetic tried not to glare at the other guy, but he knew he didn't succeed – Thomas gave him a confused look before announcing the dish he'd selected. After the blonde girl placed her order, Warren scurried away to the kitchen. He thought managing his other tables would give him a nice break from the romantic entanglements of Roma's life. However, he realized it'd be a long night either way when one of the children hit him in the face with a spring roll. It didn't help that he could clearly hear the empath and her date laughing at the occurrence.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for this ridiculous delay. I had some family issues and it didn't help that I had to move to Brazil for the last three months to sort things out. I hope you're all still around and that you enjoy this chapter. It hasn't been carefully revised because I just wanted to get it out there. Thanks for being patient. :)


	9. Somebody's Watching Me

**Chapter Nine – Somebody's Watching Me**

_Who's watching  
__Tell me, who's watching  
__Who's watching me?  
__I'm just an average [girl]  
__With an average life_

~ Rockwell ~

* * *

Most of Roma's Sundays were spent in one of two ways: doing homework at her grandparents' house or hanging out at Vie after doing schoolwork. Since her grandparents had left on a road trip to Seattle early that morning, the girl had had to work through four hours of homework assignments on her own. After two hours of pleasure reading and another of crafts, Roma finally decided to go visit her father at the restaurant. Sunday evenings usually attracted a good crowd, but the kitchen didn't get as crazy as it did on Fridays and Saturdays.

The sun had just set by the time the blonde girl left her house. The darkness didn't bother her: Maxville was one of the safest small towns in the region. Deciding to take her time, Roma chose to cut through Hamilton Reservation instead of walking on the main streets. An area of Maxville actually belonged to the Hamilton Reservation, a national park area. It could be eerie to walk through those tall trees and trails in the dark, but she'd been doing it for so long that nothing about it bothered her. Roma had the trails memorized already.

Halfway through the reservation, the blonde girl heard a sound that she hadn't noticed before. Leaves and twigs cracked a few feet behind, as if someone was walking right behind her. Roma didn't have a problem with someone taking the same way as her. She had a problem with the fact that nobody was there when she turned around to inspect. The feeling of being followed made the back of her neck feel prickly. Roma tried to shake off the sensation and started walking again, only to hear footsteps again. When she suddenly came to a halt, the sound of footsteps took a moment to fade.

Since her eyes couldn't be trusted, Roma did something unexpected: she closed them and focused all of her energy into her power. If someone was around, she'd know for sure. A few moments passed until she found what she was looking for: just a few yards to her right and back stood a person. Their confusion and curiosity traveled through the air like sound waves, bringing the message loud and clear to Roma. That spot was void of trees and bushes, there was nowhere to hide. Someone invisible was following her.

She didn't want to give away that she was aware of their presence. As calmly as the girl could manage, she bent down and pretended to tie a shoe lace, trying to think of a plan of action. Screaming for help would be no use; she was close to one of the reservation's exits, but people wouldn't be able to hear her. And the thought of explaining just how she knew someone was following her wasn't appealing at all. Roma reached inside the bag she was carrying, grabbed a water bottle, and hurled it in the direction of the invisible stranger before taking off on a sprint.

She ran as fast as her legs could go while trying to keep a hold of the person's feelings. It was hard to do both at the same time and still keep her eyes out for rocks and branches on the trail. Roma made a left turn at the reservation's exit and didn't stop running. In her hurry, she didn't notice a person walking out of their porch and ended up colliding with them. She hit a solid wall of muscle. A pair of arms went around her torso a second before they both fell on the grass with a thud.

"Roma? What's going on?" a familiar voice asked. "Why are you running like a maniac?'

"Someone was following me!" she replied, and then finally realized just who was talking to her. "Warren? What are you doing here?"

"I'm on delivery duty. Did you see who was following you?"

"I didn't see anyone," Roma said as they stood up and brushed off the grass from their clothes. "It was someone invisible. Don't give me that look. I couldn't see them, but I could feel the person."

"Feel?"

"Yes. I have a stupid secondary power that allows me to sense and/or feel people's emotions. It's a thrilling idea for anyone that doesn't actually have the power."

It was almost remarkable how readily Warren accepted the idea of her secondary power. Instead of doubting or asking more about it, he simply wanted to know if the invisible person was around them anywhere. Roma took a deep breath, trying to relax her heart and channel her ability. It took her a minute or two to finally get a hold of her emotions before she could seek out anything around them. There was nothing to feel there besides Warren, her and the people inside the house.

"C'mon. I'll give you a ride to wherever you're going," the dark-haired boy said and started walking toward his car without waiting for an answer.

Turning down the offer wouldn't be the best or safest idea, so Roma decided to simply follow him into the vehicle. When she named her destination as Vie, Warren made a comment about dropping her off in front of the restaurant, but she rattled off directions to the back door – she never used the front entrance when going to visit her father at work. They didn't say much during the short ride, allowing rock music to fill the silence instead. When Warren reached out for Roma's hands on her lap, she figured it was just to keep her from fidgeting.

He only released her hand when they stopped in front of Vie's back entrance. He put the car on park and shrugged off Roma's words of gratitude when she thanked him for the ride. The girl unbuckled her seat belt, but didn't get out. She threw Warren an amused look, thinking to herself that she'd probably never be able to figure him out. One moment he was rude to her and her non-date, the next day he held her hand to keep her from having a nervous meltdown. She thought about Thomas McIntosh's words from the night before, saying that Warren's behavior at the Paper Lantern had been worthy of a jealous boyfriend. Was it possible that Thomas knew something she didn't?

"Warren," Roma said his name tentatively, thinking of how to say what she had in mind.

The pyrokinetic didn't make a sound, though he did look at her expectantly, waiting to hear the rest. Warren's brown eyes were very expressive on that moment, revealing more than he usually let on about his feelings. She could feel the mild buzz of anxiety running through him, even if she wasn't sure of its source. Roma ran a hand through her hair, attempting to organize her thoughts and gather her words, but she still couldn't bring herself to ask one simple question. It would sound so silly and pretentious if all she asked was "do you like me?"

Finally, unable to vocalize the question, she smiled weakly and said "never mind" before thanking him for the ride once more. Roma threw doubt through the window and placed a soft kiss on Warren's cheek. Her lips started tingling with his peculiar warmth a millisecond before she even reached his skin. The sensation intensified when they finally touched, but it didn't feel unpleasant – it was a lot like the feeling she got after taking the first sip of hot cocoa after being out in the cold for a while. The warmth was so enticing that Roma couldn't help letting herself linger in the moment longer than purely friendly kisses on the cheek allowed.

Warren's question and curiosity were written all over his face when she finally pulled away. Knowing that she'd end up blurting out something stupid if they continued staring at each other, the blonde girl threw the car's door open and left the vehicle, closing the door without giving him chance to say anything. Once Roma was safely inside Vie's kitchen, where the staff knew her name and favorite dishes, she let out a breath and tried to think of anything but Warren Peace.

It was impossible to forget that odd moment though. Regardless of how busy she kept herself, Roma would find her mind wandering back to the passenger seat of his car and Sunday evening's events. Not even Sky High's Tuesday morning announcement of a Homecoming dance on Halloween night did much to distract her. Most students, however, were immediately consumed by the idea of costumes and dates. Roma didn't understand the excitement, since super people wore costumes most of the time anyway. When she shared that thought with her friends, Zach was quick to take offense.

"They're not _costumes_," Ethan explained in all seriousness. "They're _uniforms_."

"Hey, Roma!" Valerie Tripp greeted with a smile, which she extended to everyone else around the table, as she approached the blonde girl. "Have you thought of any costumes yet?"

"Not really. Coming to a school dance isn't my top priority."

"You're one of those anti-school spirit people, aren't you?" the dark-skinned beauty asked with a chuckle. "You can still help me choose a costume, right? Friday after next?"

As soon as the invitation to shop was out, Roma could feel her friends tense. Warren's body went rigid next to her, stiff with doubt and suspicion. She couldn't blame any of them though, after all, in spite of how sweet and polite Valerie could be, they saw her as the Ice Queen's best friend. And it was no surprise that they'd be wary of the girl's intentions, considering the stunt Amber had pulled the week before. The occurrence was clear in Roma's mind though and she was sure that the African-American girl had had no part in it.

Although shopping for clothes had never been one of her favorite activities, it was hard to pass up the chance of trying on silly costumes. Roma found herself accepting the invitation without much thought, after making sure that Amber wouldn't be joining them. Valerie leaned down to say something in Roma's ear, her voice barely above a whisper when she confessed that it'd be a nice change to have someone give their honest opinion in the changing room, instead of saying whatever guaranteed that they'd be the hottest person in the room.

"Do you know what you want to be already?" Layla asked, excitement evident in her voice. "I'm sure you can pull off any look with a body like yours."

"You're so sweet, Layla! But it's not like you're not gorgeous. I swear, there's no bottle or hair stylist that can give anyone a hair color like yours."

"I told her she should be Jessica Rabbit, from _Who Framed Roger Rabbit? _you know?"

"That's a great idea, Magenta," Valerie agreed. "Roma, you could be Sleeping Beauty."

"If I was planning to come to the dance, I wouldn't choose to be the princess that gets raped in her sleep," the girl stated, receiving shocked expressions in return. "You haven't read the original tale?"

"No. But did you just say you're _not _planning on coming to the dance?"

Roma rolled her eyes, amused that that was the one thing Valerie decided to focus on. Almost immediately, the African-American girl joined forces with Layla to whine about why nobody should skip out on the Halloween dance. When she didn't seem convinced by their words, the girls tried to drag Magenta and the boys into the argument, but they did little more than nod their agreement. Roma would bet that Warren had no plans of going to the dance either by the look on his face, but he'd been smart enough not to say anything. Although she did her best to steer clear of conversation about the blasted dance, Roma couldn't completely forget about it, because it seemed as if everyone else could only talk about their costumes or dates even as the week went on. After a while, she'd started walking away whenever Layla and Valerie tried to talk her into attending the event, so they didn't bring it up as often anymore.

Instead of having a movie night that weekend, they accepted Roma's suggestion of going to the Bowling Alley. Claudia was very surprised when the whole gang showed up during her Friday night shift. She was so happy to see them there that she didn't even care about Nola being there as well. Patrick's parents enjoyed meeting Roma's new friends and their son's new girlfriend. They were so accommodating that not even Warren could keep his moody demeanor. It was a fun beginning for a busy weekend.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened until Monday afternoon. As she normally did, Roma got into her house through the back door and headed to the front door to check for mail. In between bills and catalogs she found an envelope with her information typed up and no return address. It was a note and another one-hundred dollar bill from Gabriella, asking if they could meet on the following day.

There were a million reasons why the girl shouldn't go to the meeting: Gabriella was a runaway villain; it'd mean ditching her tutoring session and risking her father getting a call from the school to talk about it. But Roma didn't have a way of contacting her mother to say going to the diner on a week afternoon would be impossible. So the girl did the only thing she could think of: she shoved her finger down her throat after lunch, faked a stomach ache while Nurse Spex watched over her, and took the bus home after making a bogus call to her father to inform him of the situation. It wasn't a perfect plan by any means, but Roma would worry about the holes in it later.

As soon as she stepped out of the school bus, Roma walked to the closest pay phone and called a cab service to pick her up a few blocks from the school bus stop. She nervously twirled a strand of hair around her fingers, watching the cab meter change as they neared the diner. When Roma walked into the Moonlight Diner, Gabriella was already occupying a small table inside, casually flipping through a magazine, dark sunglasses perched at the top of her head.

"Oh, you're right on time, my dear. Would you like anything?" Gabriella asked with a smile, but Roma declined the offer, as her stomach was still recovering from her actions. "I just wanted to know how you're dealing with your power. What they're teaching you at Sky High about it."

"It'd be much easier if you had a phone and could just call me," the girl joked lightly, but didn't get a reaction – clearly, her mother was in no mood to joke. "Nobody really knows much about power mimicry, except that it's very rare."

"I bet they all gush about it, wishing they could do a tenth of what you can do."

"Um, yeah. Kind of."

"Do people know about me? That I'm your mother?"

"Principal Powers knows; Grandma and Grandpa insisted told her. Nobody else knows."

"Why not? You shouldn't hide, Roma. You are meant for great things," Gabriella sounded almost prophetic with her words, "I hope I can guide you through your journey to greatness. You're a god among rats."

The girl wasn't so sure she'd refer to non-super people as rats. After all, her father and her best friends didn't have powers and she could never think of them as rats or anything besides human. They were a few of the best people she knew. Gabriella didn't seem bothered by her daughter's lack of reply, simply moving on with the conversation, directing it back to power mimicry and the lessons Mr. Sutherland had taught Roma. She seemed sincerely eager to learn more about what Roma could do, and it pleased the girl in an odd way. At least her mother was interested in one aspect of her life.

They spent over an hour together, a very long time compared to their previous meetings. Roma didn't think they would've cut their conversation short if her phone hadn't started ringing with calls from her father. Apparently, Nurse Spex had called the restaurant and left a message about how Roma had been ill and sent home. He wanted to check on her and to say that he'd be home early to look after her. Gabriella gave her an extra fifty dollars before leaving the girl at the cab stop.

Roma asked the cab driver to stop two blocks before her house. By the time she got inside, she only had a few moments to change into pajamas and do her best to look slightly sick. Her father was so worried, he didn't even realize she was faking it all – except the guilt eating her up inside.

* * *

**Author's Note:** a HUGE thank you to the people that took the time to read and review this story. Thanks for adding this to your favorites or alerts list. Sorry about the lack of updates. Life's crazy at the moment. Any suggestions or critics, let me know. I love talking to people!


	10. Save It For Later

**Chapter Ten – Save It For Later**

_Sooner or later  
__You hit the deck, you get found out  
__Save it for later  
__Don't run away and let me down_

~ Flashlight Brown ~

* * *

Warren didn't think the rest of the week could go by fast enough. He only had to endure four more days without punching or roasting anyone. What would another four days of incessant chatter about dates and costumes be when he'd already survived thirteen of them? For most Sky High students, any excuse was good enough to talk about costumes, brag about dates, and speculate about what dramatic events they were hoping to see at the dance. For Warren, it was a slight form of torture. He just couldn't stand listening to it all. At least most people refrained from actually trying to talk to him about it.

To escape from it all, Warren had eaten lunch in the library for the better part of the last week. Although food and drinks weren't exactly allowed in the room, Mrs. Pince had turned a blind eye to his lunch as long as nobody complained about it. The librarian had developed a soft spot for the pyrokinetic ever since he'd helped save the school from Royal Pain. And the chance of someone complaining wasn't high: almost no one went to the library during lunch and not a lot of people would dare rat Warren out for fear of retaliation.

The only person that thought of looking for him there was Roma. She'd joined him on the third day of his self-imposed cafeteria exile, bringing delicious German cookies and a book about research on psychedelic drugs with her. The blonde girl had offered him a smile and cookies before taking a seat next and opening her book. She'd read through a few pages before turning to look at what Warren was doing. He'd been attempting to catch up on Math homework, but the assignment would've made just as much sense to him if it'd been written in Turkish. Without hesitation or invitation, she'd put her book aside and leaned closer to Warren to explain what those numbers and symbols meant.

After that, they mostly worked on his Math assignments, though he occasionally helped her with some of the freshman work she had to do. They talked in whispers, trying not to raise the wrath of Mrs. Pince, though Roma maintained that the woman was usually too engaged in steamy romance novels to notice a couple of teenagers sitting in a corner. The proximity to Roma and her fresh smell had prompted Warren to do crazy things, like run his fingers through her hair when he got distracted and poke her waist when she teased him. He'd almost kissed her a few times, but he'd covered up by pretending to drop something or sneeze. He was sure Roma wouldn't want anything romantic with him and he didn't want to risk their relationship by doing something foolish.

Warren found himself staring at Roma quite often, ever since he'd saved her from an invisible pursuer a few weeks before. She had told him about being able to sense people's emotions, so he felt a bit paranoid sometimes, afraid that she'd pick up on the crush that had been slowly developing, probably from the first moment he'd seen her. But the blonde girl gave no signs of knowing about it, so he'd started to relax again. On that Tuesday morning, however, Warren wasn't the only one staring at his beautiful friend.

"Why is everyone looking at you?" Magenta, ever so blunt, asked Roma as soon as they walked inside the school.

"Whoa! _Holy shit_!" Zach, who was a few steps ahead, exclaimed as a flier taped to a nearby door caught his attention. He ripped it from the surface and showed it to his friends. "Now I get why you never talk about your mother, Roma."

She seemed alarmed for a second, but then she looked at the paper Zach was holding out to them. Warren looked at it too and saw black block letters revealing the identity of the girl's mother. The woman that had given birth – and powers – to Roma was none other than Lady Fear, one of the most feared and dangerous super villains known to human kind. Lady Fear, whose power to manipulate people's mind to create fear and other negative feelings, was one of the most wanted criminals out there. Several governments had employees whose sole job was to track sightings of the woman in an attempt to locate and detain her. She'd successfully evaded authorities several times over a lifetime career on the wrong side of the law.

Warren nearly scoffed at the flier, the ridiculous claims printed on it. It almost sounded like a bad joke, the idea that one of the most perverse villains in history could be the mother of one of the sweetest people he'd ever met. Roma had mentioned once that her mother had left when she was about five years old. It wasn't possible that someone like Lady Fear had raised Roma for five whole years without making some sort of impression, without trying to instill her backwards morals in her daughter.

Warren followed Roma's eyes as it moved from the flier to Zach's face to his to their friends to the people around them. Some of the students nearby actually took a couple steps back when she looked at them, as if afraid that she'd make a sudden move to harm them. Their anxiety was preposterous. Roma would never hurt anyone; she got upset when they tried to kill bugs for God's sake! What was wrong with those people?

"I'm sorry you guys had to find out this way."

"It's really true then? That Lady Fear is your mother?" Will asked.

"Yes. I need to go to the bathroom now. Excuse me."

She didn't wait for them to reply. Roma took off, almost running to the closest girls' bathroom. People backed away from her and whispered loudly. One girl, possibly a freshman, even yelped in fear when Roma almost bumped into her. It made Warren's blood boil. Didn't those idiots know her? Sure, most people weren't especially close to Roma, not like his friends or himself were, but she'd always been nice and polite to people at Sky High. She wasn't somehow different or suddenly more likely to explode just because her mother was a super villain.

The pyrokinetic had to take deep breaths to keep calm and not lash out at those around him. More and more fliers appeared in their hands, being distributed faster than pretzel samples at the mall. Some talked about how they'd always gotten a weird vibe from the girl. It was ridiculous and entirely unfair. Warren knew exactly how it felt to be in Roma's shoes on that moment. He'd been the victim of such stares and whispers throughout most of his life, given the fact that his father was Barron Battle. It had taken him effort and many angry outbursts, but the boy had eventually developed a thick skin, learning not to let people's comments and preconceptions get to him. That had turned Warren into the aggressive, lonely bad boy he'd been until Layla had come along. He didn't want Roma to go through a transformation like that though.

"Ouch!" Layla exclaimed, quickly pulling back the hand she'd put on Warren's shoulder to get his attention. "You're boiling hot, Warren. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Someone should go after Roma," he said, but his friends didn't respond. They just exchanged strange looks. "What is it?"

"We're not sure how to deal with this situation," Ethan confessed.

"Why didn't Roma trust us enough to tell us about her mother?" Will asked. "She knew about my parents and Layla's and even about yours. Why wasn't she as forthcoming as us?"

"Maybe she has something to hide. Something to do with her mother."

"Are all of you serious right now?" Warren asked, surprised and angry at his friends. "Your parents are heroes or non-super people or sidekicks. People get a kick from hearing about them. It's not the same when one of your parents is a super villain. People treat you differently, like they expect you to be evil as well. They become suspicious and paranoid and stop trusting or talking to you. If I had had the chance to hide my father's identity, like Roma hid her mother's, I'd do the same. It's not fair to be judged by someone else's actions."

"Warren, we didn't mean it like that–"

"The look people are giving her, Layla… You're all giving her. That's how you used to look at me."

He didn't want to be around his friends on that moment and he didn't think that Roma wanted to be alone, so he walked to the girl's bathroom without hesitation. Nobody dared say a thing to him when he opened the door to go inside. The blonde girl wasn't anywhere in sight, but he could hear faint sniffles coming from a closed stall, giving away her presence. Warren locked the door behind him, so people wouldn't walk in on them, and took the stall next to Roma's. He closed the toilet and sat on the lid without saying anything.

He didn't say anything for a few moments. When he opened his mouth to finally say something, Roma asked what he was doing there. Warren wasn't entirely surprised that she somehow knew he was the one there. Not many people wore his kind of shoes. Then again, she'd probably picked up on his power, and he was the only full-pyrokinetic student at Sky High. There was a freshman that could manipulate fire, but not create it, and a girl in junior year that could absorb energy from fire to make herself strong.

Warren replied honestly, saying that he was there to make sure she was okay. He didn't mention their friends, the fliers, or the people outside. He didn't mention that he felt like punching every single one of them for making Roma feel so rotten. He didn't mention that he'd just had an outburst in her defense. He wasn't there because of those things. Warren was there because he cared about her, because he didn't want her to feel alone like he'd always felt. She deserved to know that someone would be there for her, even if it was just him.

"I don't think I can walk out of this bathroom," Roma said as she left her stall and went to the sink. She turned on the faucet, allowing the water to run, before throwing some of it on her face. Her beautiful eyes were red and swollen. "It took thirty seconds for me to break down. How did you manage sixteen years of this, War?"

"It got better after I helped save the school. Before that I was even worse than the guy you met on your first day of Sky High."

"You weren't that bad," she said with a shrug.

Warren smiled as he watched her turn off the faucet and dry her face. He knew she was lying and that he'd made things difficult for her. Of course, it hadn't been because of how she'd behave once she found out about his father, but he didn't feel like admitting to that. One moment they stood there, facing each other with secret smiles on their faces. The next, they were hugging. Warren wrapped his arms around Roma's waist, pulling her close, while she looped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face into his neck. The sniffles started again, making his temper flare up once more.

He wasn't sure how long they stood there, with her crying and him offering silent comfort, but neither moved when the final bell rang. They didn't care about announcements. Eventually, Warren disentangled them from the hug. Roma awkwardly smoothed out her hair. Surprise was written all over her face when he wiped her tears away. He wanted to kiss her so badly, to offer a more concrete sort of comfort than a simple hug could give, but it didn't feel right. She was emotionally shaken and he didn't want to take advantage of her. If Warren kissed her, he wanted Roma to be in the moment, to want the kiss, as much as him.

"You're still the same sweet and crazy Roma Oppugn. Your real friends will realize that."

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Warren Peace."

"I'm a great friend, I know," he joked, but she didn't laugh for some reason. "This may not be the best moment, Roma, but…"

"What?" she asked, a strange sort of anxiety flashing in her eyes.

"Would you go to the Halloween dance with me? I have, like, all these great costume ideas."

The blonde girl looked at Warren as if he'd grown a second head or an extra pair of fingers. He was about to explain that that had been his attempt to insert some humor in the moment, but then she started laughing hard, as if that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. Warren started laughing too, glad to see Roma hadn't lost any of her spark. They laughed together until both were out of breath. As she tried to compose herself, Warren realized that attending the dance with Roma as his date didn't sound like a bad idea at all. Maybe he could ask her for real…

"I'll go with you, if you're serious about it. But there are two conditions. First: we don't turn into those dance-obsessed people–"

"Done."

"And second, we don't tell anyone I'm going with you," she said and Warren had a sudden fear that she was ashamed of being his date. "They'll probably think I'm trying to lure you into the dark side or something like that. Besides, I don't want anyone to cancel their plans just because I'll be there."

"You have a deal. Now let's get out of here before Powers comes looking for us."

The hallways were empty when they left the bathroom. They'd heard the second bell ring, announcing the beginning of first period, but they had ignored that as well. Being late to class didn't bother Warren that much, especially since he had a good reason for it. The two had only taken a few steps before someone called out their names. Principal Powers stood at the end of the hallway, hands crossed in front of her chest, giving them a stern look. Without saying much, she handed them slips and shooed them to class. Before she went in the opposite direction, Roma kissed Warren on the cheek.

The pyrokinetic boy noticed that most of the fliers had disappeared. Principal Powers had probably asked the cleaning staff to trash as many of them as they found. During class, teachers shushed students that tried bringing up or gossiping about Lady Fear or Roma. Was it possible that some of them had known about the girl's mother all along? Warren didn't think about it too long. He didn't want to be like Will, thinking that Roma didn't trust them enough to tell them about her mother. He was sure it had nothing to do with them and that not many people shared that knowledge.

When lunch rolled around, Warren and Roma made their way out of Hero History, intent on spending another lunch period in the library. For their surprise, their friends were waiting for them right outside their classroom. And they weren't the only ones: Valerie Tripp was also there. Layla and the others were quick to apologize for their behavior, while Valerie assured the girl that nothing had changed for her – Roma was still the same Roma as before. The gang agreed emphatically, then decided to join Warren and her in the library, almost giving Mrs. Pince a heart attack, who had never seen that many food trays on her precious library tables before.

By the end of lunch, Warren wished his friends hadn't joined them, because he accidentally told them about deciding to go to the Halloween dance after all. Layla, ecstatic, asked him about dates and costumes, suggesting a dozen of each. The pyrokinetic didn't mind enduring the redhead's inquisition too much, because when he looked over at Roma, he noticed she was laughing at his expense, her predicament momentarily forgotten.

Unfortunately, Layla was relentless in her quest to find Warren the perfect costume and the best date. Over the four days leading up to the event, she'd attempted to match him up with three different girls and suggested about a million costumes. He was getting tired of it. Not even Roma saw much humor in their friend's insistence anymore. On Friday, as the two of them left their last class, Layla once again bothered him about his costume.

"Did you pick anything yet? I know there are a couple costume shops in town, but they won't have anything good by now."

"Relax, Layla. I've got everything figured out," he told her. "It's all under control."

"What are you dressing up as then?"

"It's a surprise."

"Warren! That probably means you have nothing," she whined. "What about a date?"

"It's a surprise," he repeated his words, knowing that it'd annoy her.

"That probably means you don't have a date either. Most of the girls in this school have a crush on you. If you asked any of them to go to the dance with you, I doubt they'd be able to keep quiet."

"Maybe I didn't ask just any of them."

"What does that even mean?"

Warren didn't answer, instead making his way to their lockers, claiming that they'd end up late for the bus if they kept chit-chatting. Layla, in a rare exhibition of temper, pouted, then glared at him when that didn't work. He almost laughed at her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you for adding the story to your favorites and alerts, I really appreciate it! I would love it if you took a bit of your time to leave a review and tell me what you like about it and how it's going or anything else. :) It's a lot of fun to write this story and I hope you guys are having a lot of fun reading it as well. And a super special shout out to Radke's Heart, whose review was probably the most lovely review I've ever received! Thank you so much!


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